Everything Has Its Time
by cheri1
Summary: In memory of Elizabeth Sladen. Eleventh Doctor with Amy and Rory. Sarah Jane is dying and Luke, Clyde and Rani find the Doctor so he can come and visit her before she dies. FINISHED.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: A little tribute to Elizabeth Sladen. Rest in Peace.

Chapter One

None of them could believe it.

Sarah Jane Smith seemed so invincible, so otherworldly at times. They had seen her fight monsters time and again and defeat them with hardly any effort. Any situation she could get out of with barely a scratch. And yet, in the end a simple thing like cancer was going to claim her life.

She lay there in the hospital bed, frail and weak, while her son and her friends sat near her, offering their support and comfort and strength. None of them had known that she had been battling cancer for years, she always kept it a secret from them in the hopes that she would stay in remission. But then the cancer came back, stronger than before and Sarah Jane was forced to tell Luke, Clyde and Rani the truth. She tried to remain stoic for their sakes even though Luke could see the fear in his mother's eyes when the Doctor told her she would only have months to live. Since that time, Sarah Jane had spent ever precious moment preparing for the day when she would take her final breath while her son and friends hoped and prayed that she would recover or that the Doctor would come and find a way to cure her before it was too late. Luke phoned Maria and her and her father flew back from Washington D.C. to visit with Sarah Jane, a visit that seemed to put renewed wind in her sails but it just wasn't enough to save her and now here she was at death's door while Luke, Clyde and Rani kept her company and prayed for a miracle.

Sarah Jane leaned up in her bed and grabbed the small plastic cup that was half full of water. She took a sip while she glanced around at the three worried teenagers keeping vigil.

"You know, you can go and do something else. I'm not ready to snuff it just yet," she said to them with amusement.

"We're just thinking," Rani said.

"Oh?" Sarah Jane said, sitting the cup down and refilling it with water from a plastic pitcher, "what are you thinking about?"

"We want the Doctor to come and save you," Clyde said.

Sarah Jane gave him a shocked look for a moment and then laughed softly.

"I take it you've been hoping for this ever since you found out I had cancer, eh?" she said.

The three teenagers nodded and Sarah Jane smiled fondly at them.

"Would it shock you if I told you I don't want to be saved," she said to them.

The three teenagers glanced at one another.

"Why?" Rani said. "You don't want the Doctor to come and save you?"

"No," Sarah Jane said. "It's not his place to save me, not from this at any rate. If it were a monster of some sort then yes, I would welcome his intervention but this, this was meant to be. I told the Doctor once when he was tempted to gain god-like powers so he could save the people he loved that everything has its time and everything ends. It's my time now. I've fought this cancer for many years and briefly won the battle but now it's come back and I believe it's time for me to go on to what lies ahead, the next great adventure in life, the one the Doctor's never been on. The Doctor has more important things to deal with than rescuing me from myself."

"But he should be here at least, to say goodbye," Luke said angrily. "You traveled with him. He owes you that much at least."

"Well, maybe he will come to do that," Sarah Jane said. "He has a time machine so he might know when to come and bid me farewell. Now that I wouldn't mind seeing. A fond goodbye to a dear, old friend."

"If there was some way we could get in touch with him, to tell him," Rani said.

"Like before, calling him, Mister Smith still has the mobile number. We can ring him and ask him to come," Luke said.

"Would you mind if we did that?" Clyde said.

Sarah Jane beamed.

"I would like it very much, but only for a visit, mind. Don't start begging him to save me. I'm ready to die and I don't want to place the burden of saving me on the Doctor's shoulders. Alright?'

The three teenagers nodded. They stood up and kissed her cheeks and forehead, whispering to her that they would be back soon. Sarah Jane nodded and settled back in the bed, watching with love in her eyes while her son and friends hurried from the room.

It took them twenty minutes to go by bus back to Bannerman Road. All three teenagers rushed into the house, flew up the stairs and ran into the attic.

"Mister Smith, we really need you!" Rani yelled as they ran over to the brick wall hiding the supercomputer.

The wall opened up revealing Mister Smith.

"Rani, what can I do for you?" Mister Smith said in his prim voice.

"We need you to use the mobile number to call the Doctor," Luke said. "We need to contact him so he can come see mum before it's too late."

"Calling the Doctor…" Mister Smith said as the three teenagers breathed a sigh of relief.

"You don't have the guts," Amy said to the Doctor.

She, Rory and the Doctor were standing in the console room of the TARDIS discussing where they'd like to go next. Amy asked if they could go to an amusement park for the day, one with lots of roller coasters and this led to Amy teasing the Doctor about actually riding the rides and specifically the roller coasters.

"I don't have the guts?" the Doctor said. "Pond, I've ridden roller coasters in the past."

"What about the scariest one ever made?" Amy said.

"I don't know. Which roller coaster is the scariest one ever made? You tell me the name and I'll tell you if I've ridden it or not. Anyway, what does it matter? Why would you think I would be afraid to get on a roller coaster?"

"Because amusement park rides don't seem like your style," Amy said.

"And why is that?" the Doctor said.

"Well, because it's a little hard to imagine you riding one in your tweed jacket," Amy said, fingering the lapel while Rory chuckled.

"People wearing tweed don't ride roller coasters?" the Doctor said.

"No, they do, it's just that you seem so…serious at times," Amy said. "I can't imagine you whooping and hollering and sticking your arms up in the air while riding one."

"Rory, did I or did I not change into swim trunks and go romping around in the surf when we went to the Bahamas a fortnight ago?" the Doctor said to Rory.

"You did," Rory said, nodding.

"Did I or did I not join in the fun of swimming and splashing and having a merry old time with the two of you?" he asked Rory.

"You did," Rory said.

"Then why in the hell do you think I wouldn't join in the fun and ride amusement park rides, Pond?" the Doctor said to Amy while Rory giggled. "I am not that anal, alright? I do like amusement park rides and I will ride roller coasters."

"Okay, then find us an amusement park with the most scariest roller coaster in the world," Amy said.

"Fine, I will, just to prove a point and shut you up," the Doctor said, moving to his monitor. "I'll have the TARDIS search for…"

Everyone fell silent when they heard a mobile ringing in the Doctor's trouser pocket.

"Wait, you have a mobile?" Amy said as the Doctor took it out. "Seriously?"

"It wasn't mine originally, it was given to me by a friend so she could keep in contact with me," the Doctor said, opening it up.

Amy and Rory watched while the Doctor said hello and then listened. They could hear a man's voice but they couldn't tell what he was saying. However, the Doctor looked more and more stricken with each passing second and Amy glanced at Rory, wondering what was happening.

"I will. Course I will, if that's her wish," the Doctor finally said. "Just give me the date and time and the name of the hospital and we'll be there straight away."

The Doctor listened and nodded.

"Right, I'll come round to your attic first and you can ride with me there," he said. "Just wait a tic and listen for me. Okay…bye."

"What's wrong?" Amy said when he ended the call and put the mobile back in his pocket.

"Very old friend is dying of cancer and wants to see me. Sorry, the amusement park will have to wait," the Doctor said to her.

Amy and Rory nodded sympathetically. Rory put his arm around Amy's waist while the Doctor set a course for Bannerman Road. They arrived in seconds and the Doctor powered down before he and his companions headed for the door. Amy and Rory looked over his shoulder when he opened the door. In front of the TARDIS were three teenagers. The Doctor stepped down from the TARDIS and hugged them all while Amy and Rory followed behind him.

"Everyone, these are my current traveling companions, Amy Pond and her husband, Rory. Rory, Amy, this is Luke, Rani and Clyde. Luke is the son of my friend, Sarah Jane, and Rani and Clyde are her friends and my friends as well. So, now that introductions are finished, everyone inside so we can go visit Sarah in hospital."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Sarah Jane slowly eased herself back into bed after going to the restroom which was connected to her room. She sighed as she raised the bed up so she could sit up and leaned back against the soft pillow. She switched on the TV that was mounted on the wall across the room and found a chat show. About twenty minutes later, she saw Luke coming into the room and smiled when he, Clyde and Rani entered.

"We found them," Luke said. "The Doctor is outside with Amy, Rory and the nurse. We got permission to take you out of the hospital."

"I thought it would be better if you came with me. I hate hospitals," the Doctor said, coming into the room with Amy, Rory and the nurse.

He smiled when he saw the overjoyed look on Sarah Jane's face. She opened her arms and the Doctor fell into them, hugging her tightly while Sarah Jane rubbed his back. While he was doing that, the nurse brought in a wheelchair and waited. The Doctor pulled out of the embrace and introduced Amy and Rory while Rani got Sarah Jane's everyday clothes out of the cupboard.

"Oh, so this is the married couple you mentioned before," Sarah Jane said.

"Yup, these are the newlyweds," the Doctor replied.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Rory said, coming forward.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet other people who've traveled with the Doctor," Amy added.

"And I enjoy doing the same. But, where are we going?" Sarah Jane said.

"I thought perhaps a nice dinner at a restaurant would be a far better setting than this place," the Doctor said. "Are you hungry?"

"A bit, but I might not be able to eat much," Sarah Jane said.

"Nah, that's okay, as long as we're together," the Doctor said.

Sarah Jane nodded at that and gave him an affectionate peck on the cheek. The Doctor's eyes sparkled as he squeezed Sarah Jane's shoulder in return. Then everyone stepped outside and let Sarah Jane get dressed. Once she was finished, she called them back in and the nurse held the wheelchair while she settled herself into it. The nurse wheeled her to the lift while everyone followed. When they reached the ground floor, the nurse took her to the front entrance and looked at the Doctor.

"Will you bring her car around?" she asked him.

"No, that's alright, we can handle it from here," the Doctor told her.

The nurse nodded and Sarah Jane thanked her before she walked away. The Doctor took her outside and looked around as they went across the car park to the TARDIS which was sitting just beyond it. He made sure no one was watching them and then he and Rory helped Sarah Jane to stand. Sarah Jane linked her arm with the Doctor's and they walked the short distance to the TARDIS. The Doctor clicked his fingers and they went inside.

"Much better," he said as Rory closed the door. "I can think much better without the smell of antiseptic in the air. Now, if you lot would wait here, I want to take Sarah back to the med bay and…"

"No!" Sarah Jane said. "Don't try to save me, Doctor. I told you once that everything has its time…"

"And I agree with that. However, you wouldn't object to me giving you something that will ease your pain and give you some stamina for our trip to the restaurant, would you?"

"Oh. No, I wouldn't mind that," Sarah Jane said.

"Good. Because I have just the thing. I think it might even help bring your appetite back and keep your nausea down so you can keep a bit of food in your stomach. Amy, Rory, just chill out with the teenagers and I'll be right back."

Amy and Rory nodded. The five of them chatted while the Doctor walked with Sarah Jane back to the med bay.

"How are you feeling?" the Doctor asked as they walked.

"Better now that you're here. It was the children's idea to do this but I'm glad they did. I wanted to see you again before…"

The Doctor nodded and smiled at her.

"My brave Sarah Jane," he said fondly and squeezed her hand when tears came to her eyes. "Don't worry; we'll make your last moments comfortable. Far more comfortable than they would be in hospital."

"Could you do something for me though?" Sarah Jane said.

"Sure," the Doctor said.

"Look after Luke for me. He doesn't have anyone and I was wondering if you could take him with you. I know you've got two other people but…"

"It would be my honor," the Doctor said.

"Thank you," Sarah Jane said. "And take K9 as well and dismantle Mister Smith so whoever buys the house after me doesn't find him."

"I will and I'll make sure no trace of your side job doesn't get found," the Doctor said.

"Thank you. And just, check in with Rani and Clyde from time to time. I know I'm asking a lot but…"

"You're not asking a lot, it would be my honor," the Doctor insisted. "I want you to have peace of mind and not worry about the future. You have enough on your plate right now without worrying about where Luke and K9 are going to land up."

"Thank you," Sarah Jane said softly as the tears fell.

The Doctor stopped her and put a hand to her cheek.

"Sarah, I'll respect your wishes but I can save you. I know some hospitals on other planets who could cure you if you want to be cured."

"No," Sarah Jane said, shaking her head. "This is meant to be and I have to let time take its course. I can't be tempted just as you were tempted by Brother Lhasa."

"Alright. I'll respect your wish then and help make you comfortable and give you a few more happy memories to take with you on your journey."

Sarah Jane smiled and hugged him. The Doctor enveloped her and kissed the top of her head, murmuring "My Sarah Jane," while Sarah Jane wept softly.

He held her until the tears subsided. Then he kissed her one more on the top of the head before he let go and threaded his arm through hers. He escorted her to the med bay and had her sit on the examination table while he looked through his cabinets, scratching his chin thoughtfully while he searched for what he needed.

"Can I ask another favor of you?" Sarah Jane said.

The Doctor looked over his shoulder.

"Yes?" he said.

"Is it possible to see my friends. Jack and Mickey and Martha and Donna and Rose and perhaps Jo and Santiago? Just to say goodbye to them."

"Jack, Martha and Mickey are doable. Um…"

He explained about Rose and Donna and Sarah Jane's face fell when he heard about their fates but she nodded when he told her it wouldn't be possible to see them again.

"Now…Jo and Santiago…um…I told you before that the TARDIS has a hard time pinning them down since they move constantly. Not sure if I could find them in time."

"Then Jack, Mickey and Martha, I'd like to say goodbye to them," Sarah Jane said.

"Of course. In fact, why not invite them along and they can eat with us tonight. Just let me find what I need and sort you out then I'll call Martha and ask her to get ahold of Jack."

Sarah Jane nodded and waited patiently while the Doctor took a couple of bottles of medicine from the cabinet.

The Doctor gave her a large green tablet and had her drink a tablespoonful of some red syrupy medicine. Once he did that, he pulled out his mobile and rang Martha, talking softly and telling her the situation while he let the medicine kick in. While she listened to the Doctor speaking to Martha, Sarah Jane could feel the medicine start to work and she smiled when she felt far better than she had moments ago. She didn't feel so weak or whoosy and the nausea was going away. By the time, the Doctor finished the phone call, she was strong enough to stand on her own and walk beside her friend.

"Martha'll ring me back when she's phoned Jack," the Doctor said as they walked. "In the meantime, you can get acquainted with my current companions and rest a bit before our dinner party. Sound good?"

"Sounds wonderful," Sarah Jane said. "And thank you for giving me that medicine. Whatever it was, I feel better, more like my old self again."

"Well, they don't call me the Doctor for nothing," he said, patting her on the shoulder as they headed back to the console room.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The TARDIS landed inside Francine's house. Francine, Martha and Mickey walked up to it and waited. The door opened and everyone stepped outside.

"He's younger," Mickey said, looking at the Doctor.

"Yeah, you look good," Martha replied.

"What are you talking about? Where's the Doctor?" Francine said.

The Doctor grinned when Martha and Mickey pointed to him before they embraced Sarah Jane.

"That's not the Doctor, the Doctor is tall and thin and has out of control hair and beady eyes," Francine said.

"I did not have out of control hair," the Doctor said as everyone except Francine howled with laughter. "And my eyes were not beady. I liked my eyes."

"Really? Now I'm curious to see a photo of you and see what you looked like," Amy said.

Martha excused herself, telling them she could show them a photo of his tenth life. While she ran upstairs, the Doctor quickly explained what had happened to him. Francine frowned when he explained regeneration, completely confused when he told her he had a whole new body but she decided not to question it and accept it was the Doctor.

"Jack wants to come as well," Mickey said. "He's at Torchwood and said to meet him there."

"He's back at Torchwood? I thought he left," the Doctor said.

"He did. But he was missing Gwen and Rhys and came back for a visit and both of them convinced him to come back," Mickey said. "I think he missed working with them and he realized he had a duty to protect the Earth, same as you."

The Doctor nodded. Martha came back down the stairs, carrying a picture frame. Everyone gathered around her while she showed them the photo. It was her and the tenth Doctor in a closeup, their faces close together while they smiled.

"Wow, you do have beady eyes," Amy said.

"I do not!" the Doctor said while everyone laughed.

"Only joking," Amy said, patting his back. "You looked good."

"I have a few photos of him during his third and fourth lives but they're back at my house," Sarah Jane said. "I've kept them all these years and I treasure them."

"So…you and Mickey live with your mum?" the Doctor asked Martha.

"No, we have a flat in the City. We were just visiting with mum when you phoned me," Martha said.

They chatted for a few more minutes before they said goodbye to Francine and got back into the TARDIS. Francine stepped back and folded her arms over her chest while she watched the TARDIS dematerialize.

Jack was chatting with Gwen and Rhys when they heard the familiar wheezing.

"Well, let's see what he looks like now," Jack said as he and Gwen and Rhys got up from their chairs.

The TARDIS materialized twenty feet behind them and all of them waited patiently while the door opened. Everyone filed out and Jack looked them over before he pointed at the Doctor.

"Gotta be you. Who else would wear tweed and a bow tie," he said to him.

"Bow ties are cool," the Doctor said.

Jack gazed at him, admiring his new body before he turned his attention to Sarah Jane. He enveloped her in his arms, holding her tightly while he tried not to cry.

"You still look good, I must say," he said to Sarah Jane.

"Thanks. You do as well," she said.

Jack rubbed her arm and let her hug Gwen and Rhys while the Doctor introduced Amy and Rory and the teenagers to him. Several minutes later, Gwen and Rhys said goodbye to Sarah Jane and wished everyone a good time before they got back into the TARDIS. Jack's mouth dropped open when he saw the interior.

"Whoa, I see you're not the only thing that got a makeover," Jack said.

"Yes, well, the TARDIS got damaged during my last regeneration and she had to do a complete overhaul," the Doctor replied. "Now…we were thinking Italian? Is that okay with everyone?"

"I'll eat dog poo, just as long as I can spend time with this lovely lady," Jack said, putting her arm around Sarah Jane.

"Fine. We'll eat Italian and then we'll stop at a pet shop and purchase a dog so Jack can eat his poo," the Doctor said while everyone laughed. "Okay, everyone, let's give Sarah Jane a great big, happy sendoff and make this a day of smiles and laughter, yeah?"

Everyone nodded and the Doctor slapped his hands together.

"Right. Let's go to the restaurant then," he said, running up the steps to the console.

While he programmed in the coordinates, Jack chatted with Sarah Jane, Martha and Mickey. Jack's mouth dropped when Sarah Jane told him what happened to Donna and Rose and he fought to keep his anger in check at what the Doctor did to Rose. Sarah Jane noticed the anger and put her hand on his arm.

"Jack, he did what he had to do," Sarah Jane said softly.

"He didn't have to do that to Rose," Jack hissed back. "Rose came back for him and he dumps her back in the other universe with that clone. Didn't he think that her friends might want her here instead?"

"Jack, time and a place, yeah?" Martha said softly as she put her hand on his arm. "Let's concentrate on having a fun night with Sarah Jane and bring this up another time."

Jack nodded and Sarah Jane smiled and embraced him. Jack kissed her cheek and rubbed her back before she let go. They watched Sarah Jane walk over to Luke while Jack put his arms around Martha and Mickey. Sarah Jane tapped Luke on the shoulder and asked to speak with him alone. Luke nodded and they walked out of the console room. When they were out of earshot of everyone else, Sarah Jane stopped him and turned him around so he was facing her.

"I spoke with the Doctor," she said. "And he's going to let you come with him after I'm gone. He's going to take K9 and Mister Smith and clean up my house so there's no trace of any alien tech or anything relating to what we did. I trust the Doctor will help you complete your education and I want you to listen to him and help him if he needs it, okay?"

Luke nodded.

"He…he can't save you?" Luke said.

"He could. But I don't want him to," Sarah Jane said. "This is meant to be and I can't ask him to play God and save my life. This is my decision so please respect it and don't beg him to save me. He's already offered and I told him no. Okay?"

Tears came to Luke's eyes and he nodded. Sarah Jane embraced him and rubbed his back.

"I will always be with you," she said. "I will always watch over you and Rani and Clyde and Maria and all my friends. I love you all and I'll always be in your heart. And to be truthful, I am looking forward to Heaven and seeing Harry and the Brigadier again. Not to mention it'll be like taking a long, restful holiday. And…someday, I'll be reunited with all of you. So don't cry. Have fun tonight. You and Rani and Clyde need to laugh and have some fun, okay?"

Luke nodded and she kissed his forehead before the two of them went back into the console room. When they went back inside, the Doctor waved Sarah Jane over and pointed to his monitor.

"Message for you from the TARDIS," he said.

"Really?" Sarah Jane said.

The Doctor nodded and smiled and pointed to the monitor while everyone else gathered around her. Sarah Jane walked in front of the Doctor and he put his hands on her shoulder while she read what was on the monitor.

Sarah Jane

I know what is happening to you and I wanted to tell you that I've always enjoyed having you in here with me. I love all of the Doctor's friends and companions but you were one of my favorites. I will miss you, my friend, and I will also watch over Luke after you are gone.

TARDIS.

The Doctor came up behind her and embraced her from behind when Sarah Jane held her hand over her mouth and began to cry. Everyone came in closer and surrounded her with their love and support while Sarah Jane smiled at them. The Doctor chuckled when the TARDIS flashed her lights on and off and she felt a tickle in her mind and could sense the TARDIS's love for her.

"Thank you. Thank you all," Sarah Jane said.

Everyone kissed her cheeks and then backed up so the Doctor could have control of the console. After a few more minutes, the TARDIS landed and powered down.

"Right," the Doctor said to them, "strap on your feedbags everyone and let's have some food and fun at the Piccadilly Italian Restaurant."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The Piccadilly Italian Restaurant was in the theater district of Piccadilly on Great Windmill street. The exterior of the restaurant was made of dark stone with a rectangular neon sign and an Italian flag above the door. Inside was white wood walls with dark wooden paneling. There were wooden tables with wooden high backed chairs and along the wall were booth seats with dark red padding. There was Italian memorabilia on the walls along with some signed photos of celebrities who had eaten there in the past. When they went inside, they heard Italian music piped in from an overhead sound system and the smell of spaghetti and garlic bread hung in the air, making Sarah Jane's mouth water and bringing back her appetite for the first time in a few weeks. The Doctor held her hand while the waitress found out the number in their party and led them back to the back to one of the tables with booth seating. The Doctor pulled out a chair for Sarah Jane and she sat down. The Doctor sat down beside her while the teens slid into the other side of the table. Jack pushed a nearby table up to theirs after Mickey, Rose and Amy sat down beside the teens and he sat down with Martha in the chairs. The waitress came to give them their menus and take their drink orders. The teenagers ordered tea while everyone else ordered wine. The Doctor leaned in to Sarah Jane after the waitress left.

"I have some more of the medicine in my pocket, just in case. Let me know if you need any more of it," he said.

Sarah Jane nodded and the Doctor squeezed her hand.

"So how are you paying for this?"Sarah Jane asked. "You don't carry any money."

"I'm paying for it," Jack said, waving his hand dismissively. "Order whatever you want, it's on me."

Sarah Jane nodded and opened her rectangular menu, gazing down through the choices while everyone else did the same. Jack glanced at the Doctor.

"So, Doctor, how did you regenerate this time?" he asked.

The Doctor continued to study the menu while he told them briefly what happened. Everyone listened intently while he talked and they studied their menus. When the Doctor got to the part where he told them he came to check on every one of them, Jack, Martha and Mickey glanced at each other.

"Hold on, that day in the warehouse with the Sontaran...," Martha said.

"Yup, that was me coming to say goodbye and it's a good thing I got there in time or I would have been saying goodbye to you and your husband," the Doctor said.

"And the day you saved Luke?" Sarah Jane said.

"Yup, that was when I came to see you and Luke."

"And I'm guessing the day you came into the bar…"

"Yup," the Doctor said to Jack. "How'd it go with Alonzo?"

"Didn't last," Jack said, shaking his head. "He's a nice guy but he's not Ianto and we decided just to be friends. I think It'll be a long time before I really commit to someone the way I did with Ianto."

The Doctor nodded.

"I understand, I thought it might be best if you had someone," he said. "I didn't think it was good for you to be alone."

"Which is why I decided to come back to my team," Jack said. "You felt the same way though? That's why you have Rory and Amy now?"

"Yup, got bored being with myself. Amy traveled with me first and then Rory joined us," the Doctor said.

"And… do you like traveling with him?" Jack asked Amy and Rory.

"I love it," Amy said.

"I'm growing to love it, it takes some getting used to," Rory said.

"I was the same way, I met him when I was working as a journalist and it took awhile to adjust but once I got used to it, I loved it! One of the highlights of my life," Sarah Jane said.

The waitress came back with their drinks and took their orders. The teenagers ordered spaghetti and garlic bread, Sarah Jane ordered salad and veal, Jack ordered ravioli, Martha ordered fettuccini alfredo, Amy, Rory and Mickey ordered lasagna and the Doctor ordered chicken tetrazzini with garlic bread. They gave their menus back to the waitress and she walked away.

"Before we begin, might I propose a toast?" Jack said, raising his wine glass. "To Sarah Jane, a lovely and wonderful woman. I only wish I'd gotten to know you better but I know my life has been made better by you being in it. Cheers, beautiful Sarah."

Everyone clinked glasses together and drank while Sarah Jane blushed and smiled at that.

"Can I make a toast?" Luke said. "Mum, you are fantastic. You're the best mum in the world and I'm so glad you rescued me from the Bane and made me your son. I'm proud to be your son and I always will be."

Sarah Jane's eyes glistened with unshed tears as everyone clinked glasses again.

"I'd like to make a toast," Rory said. "Um…I haven't known you for very long and I consider it a shame that I got to meet you now when you're at the end of your life since I now know that you're a warm and loving and wonderful woman and I'm going to miss you, Sarah Jane."

"I second that," Amy said.

"Thank you," Sarah Jane said as they clinked glasses.

They drank and then everyone looked at the Doctor. They laughed when the Doctor feigned confusion.

"I'm sorry, is there a fly on my nose or something," he said before he gave them a grin. "Ah well, you want me to make a toast to this marvelous woman beside me. But…really, what words would suffice for Sarah? You have made me proud, my Sarah Jane. Not only were you a wonderful companion but you went beyond that and made a real difference in the world and you fulfilled all my expectations and then some. I will truly miss you, my shining star, but I also count myself lucky that I knew you and got to run alongside you and fight monsters together. I love you, Sarah, and I always will."

"Thank you," Sarah Jane said in a choked voice as they clinked glasses.

The Doctor patted her shoulder while Sarah Jane wiped tears from her eyes. Then suddenly, she froze when she heard someone fart behind her.

"Agatha, honestly," she heard a man say.

There was no movement for a few seconds and then Sarah Jane began to shake with silent laughter while everyone else shared a gleeful look. The Doctor cleared his throat and hid his smile as he picked up his wine glass and took a drink.

"Well, that's one of the things I will not miss after I die," Sarah Jane said softly while everyone snickered.

"Nah, better out than in, I always say," Jack said before he picked up his wine glass.

"And if my time in Torchwood is any indication, there were a lot of times it needed to come out," Martha said softly.

Everyone snickered when Jack shot her a look.

"Just watch yourself from now on, Jones, I might send a silent but deadly one your way," he said.

"It's Smith now, love, and bring it on," Martha said. "I can take whatever you dish out."

"Just wait, it'll come when you least expect it," Jack said before taking another sip of wine.

"Anyway, switching to another subject," the Doctor said while everyone else giggled.

"I'd like to say something and I hope it's not too morbid," Sarah Jane said.

"Yes?" the Doctor said.

Sarah Jane took his hand.

"I don't want to go back to hospital, I was wondering if perhaps I could come with you and die onboard the TARDIS? I won't be around much longer but I would rather die with you nearby than with a bunch of nurses and doctors."

"Of course you can," he said. "And all of you are welcome to stay with us so we can all be there at that moment. What about burial though?"

"Did you have anything in mind?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Well, if Luke is going to be with me, I was thinking cremation and I could put your ashes in an urn and let him have it," the Doctor said.

"I'd love that but…would that be okay with you, Luke?"

"Yeah, I'd love to have mum's ashes with me," Luke said.

"Okay, so I'll contact the Shansheeth and have them come and…"

Luke, Clyde and Rani giggled when Sarah Jane shot him a dirty look.

"Don't let those vultures anywhere near me," she said while the Doctor gave her an innocent look. "You let those bird brains handle my remains and my ghost will come back and make you regenerate!"

"Now, I must remind you that was a rogue batch of Shansheeth, they're not all bad," the Doctor teased.

"I don't care. I want you to handle my remains, not those overgrown scavengers," Sarah Jane said while the Doctor patted her hand.

"Sorry, who are the Shansheeth?" Amy said.

Sarah Jane told them about the Shansheeth and what happened to her, the Doctor, the teenagers, Liz and Santiago while the others listened in a fascinated silence. While she was talking, their food came and Sarah Jane stopped talking while the waitress served them their meals. While she looked at her veal, the Doctor leaned over.

"Are you alright? Do you need any more medicine to keep your food down?" he asked.

"No, I think I'll be alright," Sarah Jane said.

"Just let me know, I'm Doctor Feelgood tonight, you know."

He grinned when Sarah Jane giggled at that. She started to cut up her veal but the Doctor's words made her giggle again and the Doctor hid another smile behind his wine glass.

"Is something the matter, Sarah?" he asked her while everyone else chuckled.

"Just have an image of you standing in some dark alley wearing a dirty trench coat with your drugs in your hand asking people if they want a fix, that's all," Sarah Jane said.

"Wow, now I have an image of that too," Jack said while the others laughed. "Doctor Drug Dealer, there's one for the books."

"I'm just telling Sarah that if she needs a fix, I'm her supplier."

Now everyone had the giggles which made the Doctor smile. He leaned over to Sarah Jane.

"If you're going to go, my Sarah, you are going to go with a laugh and a smile, that's for sure," he told her before he gave her an affectionate kiss on the cheek.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Sarah Jane took another bite of veal, savoring the flavor. She thought when she first started that she would have trouble keeping it down but thanks to the Doctor, her stomach wasn't the slightest bit queasy and she was enjoying every mouthwatering bite of her veal and salad. She ate hungrily which amused the others.

"I'm guessing you haven't had decent food in awhile, eh?" the Doctor said as everyone giggled.

"No, I haven't. That hospital food is atrocious, no wonder people lose weight while they're in there," Sarah Jane said. "I'm so glad you thought of this. Although, I'm sorry I made you disrupt your plans if you had any."

"Nah, we were just debating on whether or not to go to an amusement park, it can wait," the Doctor said.

"And when we finally do go, you're getting on that roller coaster," Amy said.

"I fully intend to, Pond, I told you before I have ridden roller coasters before," the Doctor said.

Sarah Jane chewed thoughtfully for a moment and then swallowed.

"Can I ask a favor?" she said to the Doctor.

"Sure," the Doctor said.

"Can we go to an amusement park after this…or a funfair?"

"Yes, but are you up to that?" the Doctor said, worried.

"Well, I doubt I'll be riding the roller coasters but the reason I'm asking is because I want Luke, Rani and Clyde to go and have some fun. Ever since I've been in hospital, the three of them have been at my side constantly when they weren't in school and mourning me as if I've already died. I want them to have a night where they can act like teenagers again and not focus all their energy on me. So, this request is more for them than for me."

"What d'ya lot think? Sound good?" the Doctor said to everyone.

"No complaints from me," Martha said.

"I wouldn't mind, I've been a bit stressed out from work lately. It'd be nice to take a break and relax. And I'll pay the admission, wherever you decide to go," Jack said.

"Are you Mister Moneybags all of a sudden?" Martha said.

"Let's just say that people pay me and my team very well for our services. Plus, I constantly work and I don't really spend much money so it adds up. So I'm happy to have an opportunity to spend some of what I earn."

"Well, if we do this, I think a funfair will be a bit easier to handle. I don't want to wear you out having you walk all over Disney World or something that large."

"Yes, I agree. I'd rather go to something small with rides I could handle. I don't fancy all those extreme roller coasters that make you vomit even when you aren't ill," Sarah Jane said.

"And if we don't find one with a roller coaster, Pond, I'll find something else in future," the Doctor said.

"Fine by me, just as long as you go on one and I'm witness to it," Amy said with a shrug.

"See that one over there, she's gonna be the death of me someday," the Doctor said to Sarah Jane while she laughed.

After dinner, all of them headed back into the TARDIS. The teenagers stood by Sarah Jane's side while she settled down into the chair near the console.

"That was excellent. Best meal I've had in weeks," Sarah Jane said, patting her belly. "Thank you, everyone, for that."

"My pleasure," Jack said while everyone else nodded in agreement.

"How're you feelin'?" Rani asked, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Surprisingly good. Whatever that medicine is, Doctor, it works wonders."

"Doctor Feelgood, me," the Doctor said.

Sarah Jane chuckled when the Doctor winked at her. He asked the TARDIS to find a funfair and the rotor sprang to life. The Doctor walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Need another fix from your supplier?" he teased.

"Um…actually, I better since I'm about to tackle a funfair," Sarah Jane said.

"Wise choice," the Doctor said. "Amy, can you fetch me a spoon, one of the medicines is liquid."

"Yup," Amy said, hurrying out of the room.

"And a glass of water too, Amy!" he yelled.

"Got it!" Amy yelled back.

Five minutes later she returned with a spoon and a glass of water. She and everyone else watched while the Doctor gave Sarah Jane the glass of water and a pill. While she was taking that, he poured some medicine into the spoon. He waited for her to swallow the pill before giving her the other medicine. Then Amy took the spoon and glass back to the kitchen after Sarah Jane finished drinking the water.

"Better?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes. I'm glad you have that stuff, I wouldn't have been able to get through this day otherwise," she said.

"Happy to help. You need all the happy memories you can get now," the Doctor said.

The TARDIS landed and powered down.

"Ah! I believe we're here. At least I hope we're here and we don't walk out the doors straight into the jaws of a huge scaly monster. Still, one way to find out. Come along, everyone! The night is still young!"

Rani helped Sarah Jane to stand and walked with her as they followed everyone to the door. They opened it and noticed they were on the outskirts of a large funfair. It was night and the funfair was lit up with bright multicolored lights. The night was clear with the moon hanging above them in the sky and the sounds of music and laughter reached their ears along with the smells of various food. Sarah Jane sighed.

"It's beautiful," she said.

"Yes, it is," the Doctor said. "Alright, you lot, let's have some fun!"

Jack gave everyone some spending money. He noticed Sarah Jane was reaching into her purse to get some and he shook his head.

"Tonight, it's my treat. My honor, Miss Smith," he said, handing her a couple of ten pound notes.

"Thank you, Jack," she said.

Jack grinned when she kissed him on the cheek. He bowed to her and she walked between him and the Doctor as they entered the funfair. After giving everyone twenty pounds, the teenagers ran towards the rides while everyone else strolled along. On either side of them were game booths and food carts and smaller rides like the Haunted House or Funhouse. They found a ticket booth and noticed that they were selling unlimited ride bracelets for ten pounds. Everyone purchased a bracelet before they moved on. Sarah Jane thanked the man in the ticket booth after he put the red plastic band around her wrist. Then she turned and the Doctor accompanied her as they walked. They noticed the merry-go-round and slowed to a stop.

"Would you like to ride that with me?" the Doctor asked her.

"I'd be honored," Sarah Jane said.

He took her hand and they headed towards the queue. There weren't that many people in line so they were able to get through quickly. The Doctor and Sarah Jane looked around and chose a pair of white horses. Sarah Jane got on an Arabian stallion that had black feathers and gems in it's reins and the Doctor got on the Arabian beside hers that had gems in the reins and a golden disc below the reins.

"Yee-haw!" the Doctor said as he jerked on the leather reins in his hands. "I'm a cowboy. All I need now is a Stetson and I'm set."

"Couldn't imagine you wearing a Stetson," Sarah Jane said.

"Hey, Stetsons are cool. Maybe I should start wearing one. I wore a fez."

"Fez?" Sarah Jane said with a laugh. "I can't imagine that either."

"I looked good and…oooh, here we go!"

The horses slowly went up and down and then picked up speed as they went around. The Doctor was on the higher horse and he stuck his tongue out playfully at Sarah Jane.

"Ha, I'm on the higher horse. I can see for miles," he said airily.

"And what do you see from way up there?" Sarah Jane teased back.

They came around towards the queue and the Doctor saw Amy and Rory standing off to the side of the queue while they watched them.

"I see Mister and Misses Pond!" he yelled as he and Sarah Jane waved.

Amy and Rory waved back and they went around again.

"This is quite relaxing," the Doctor said.

"Are you going to go on a roller coaster if they have one?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Oh, I s'pose, if it'll make Pond happy," the Doctor said, rolling his eyes while she laughed. "Bugger, these things always end too quickly," he added when the ride began to slow down.

They came back around and the Doctor noticed Amy and Rory had walked off. They waited till the ride stopped and the Doctor got down and took Sarah Jane's hand as they walked off the carousel and headed for the exit. They turned right and headed towards the bigger rides. While they walked, they noticed Jack was standing near a concession stand. He was sipping something from a paper cup while he, Martha and Mickey chatted. They stopped and smiled when the Doctor and Sarah Jane neared them.

"Amy said you were on the merry-go-round, did you have fun?" Jack asked them.

"Yup, although my steed was more magnificent, but that's to be expected," the Doctor said.

Jack stared at him for a moment and then looked at Sarah Jane.

"How did you put up with his arrogance for all those years?" he asked her.

"Well, I basically learned to tune him out and nod and act interested when I really wasn't," Sarah Jane said.

Jack, Mickey and Martha laughed at the Doctor's shocked expression while Sarah Jane gave him a cheeky look.

"Good, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who had to adopt that technique," Jack teased before he took another sip of his drink.

"You know, I have more than just medicines in my med bay," the Doctor told Jack. "If I wanted to, I could go back and get something to put in your drink that would give you many nasty hallucinations, hallucinations that would drive you mad and leave you a gibbering hunk of flesh. Just a friendly warning. Come, Sarah, let's go find something else to do."

"Buddy, your constant rambling and arrogance will eventually drive me mad so I don't need your fancy schmancy LSD pill to go nuts!" Jack called to him as the Doctor and Sarah Jane left the group.

The Doctor and Sarah Jane headed to the game booths. They saw Amy leaning up against one holding a small white teddy bear in her hands. The game booth was a balloon popping game and Rory was currently throwing darts at thirty multicolor balloons mounted on a corkboard at the back of the booth. Amy smiled and walked towards the Doctor and Sarah Jane.

"Rory won this for me," she said to the Doctor, showing him the bear.

"What's wrong, you can't win one on your own? Gotta have Mister Pond do it?" the Doctor teased.

"No, I can win one on my own," Amy said.

"Yeah, show me," the Doctor said while Sarah Jane chuckled.

"You first, big mouth," Amy replied.

"Me? I'm not the one who has to have a spouse win me a teddy bear," the Doctor said.

"I know but I'm betting you can't do it. I'm betting you fail at it," Amy said.

"Sarah, I loved traveling with you, you never ran your gob and got cheeky with me," the Doctor said to Sarah Jane. "See, this woman right here, she is mouthy and rude. I had a woman named Tegan that used to travel with me that I used to refer to as a mouth on legs but Amy gives her a run for her money."

"Well, if you're too chicken to try a simple dart game…" Amy said.

Sarah Jane laughed as the Doctor eyed her. Then he reached into his pocket, playfully shoved Amy aside and walked up to Rory who was just aiming his third dart at a balloon.

"Giving in?" Rory said, glancing his way.

"Oh, if this shuts your wife up, I s'pose I'll do it," the Doctor said, handing a one pound note to the man running the booth.

The Doctor took the three darts the attendant gave him and watched while Rory threw his last dart. He applauded when it popped a yellow balloon near the center of the corkboard and Rory looked around at the plushie animals hanging from the top and sides of the booth. He pointed to a small unicorn and the attendant gave it to him.

"Well done, Rory, if we need to dart something, I'll be sure to use you," the Doctor said.

Rory held the unicorn and stepped back, watching while the Doctor set the darts down on the wooden counter in front of him and picked up the first dart. He aimed it and smiled when it popped a blue balloon near the top of the corkboard.

"One down, two to go," he said to Amy and Sarah Jane.

He aimed the second dart and beamed when a purple balloon near the center popped.

"See, I can play this game just as well as Rory," he said to Amy as he picked up his third dart.

He aimed it, threw and his mouth nearly fell to the ground when it hit the corkboard right beside a green balloon. Amy bent over laughing while the Doctor continued to stare at the dart in disbelief. The attendant gave the Doctor an amused grin.

"Never boast to your girlfriend, eh, mate?" he said in a gruff voice.

The Doctor looked at the overweight balding attendant wearing the plaid shirt with a mustard stain near a pocket on the right side of the shirt and blue jeans that were old and faded. He took in his gleeful look and wondered if he could get away with chucking him into a supernova. Then he silently decided against it and walked away, eyeing Amy as she chortled with glee.

"Your turn then?" the Doctor said to her.

Amy nodded and walked up to the attendant.

"Gonna make your boyfriend look bad, love?" the attendant said.

"He's not my boyfriend, he's just my friend and yes, I' m gonna make him look bad," Amy said as she gave him the quid.

She picked up the first dart, threw it and everyone went quiet when it hit the edge of the corkboard, completely missing the balloons. Amy stood rooted to the spot, afraid to turn around while she listened to the Doctor sniggering. Her face reddened while she quickly threw the other two darts, managing to pop two balloons in the process. She turned and saw the smug look on the Doctor's face. Sarah Jane glanced at the Time Lord and gave Amy a sympathetic look as she and Rory came towards her and the Doctor.

"No worries, Pond, I won't kick you out of the TARDIS for boasting," the Doctor said. "But let's just call out little contest even then, eh? Now…let's go find something else to do, shall we?"

Sarah Jane turned with the Doctor and was about to walk away when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and saw Rory holding out the unicorn to her.

"For you," he said. "Figured you needed a plushie as well."

"Thank you," Sarah Jane said, taking it from him.

Rory smiled when she hugged him. He looked at Amy and Amy winked at him before he took her hand and followed the Doctor and Sarah Jane.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

As they went further into the funfair, the Doctor and Sarah Jane separated from the others who went to ride the bumper cars. They walked beside each other through the crowd of fairgoers, enjoying each other's company. While they walked, Sarah Jane thought about what the Doctor had told her about Rose and Donna and what happened to them. She hadn't known Donna for very long and she was sorry that she had to lose her memory to survive, but she hadn't known her as long as she'd known Rose and her heart ached knowing that she was trapped in another universe where she'd be unable to see her. While they walked, she thought back on the day she'd first met Rose, how much antagonism there had been at first before they finally came to an understand and became friends. While she thought back on that day, she suddenly remembered something Mickey had said while they were together with the Doctor. She looked up at her friend and sensing her eyes, he glanced at her and smiled.

"Doctor, I've been thinking, that day at the school when I met Rose. I remember when we were walking together that I heard Mickey make this comment about the misses and the ex being together. Were you and Rose…in a relationship?"

The Doctor's jaw clenched, something that wasn't lost on Sarah Jane. She stopped him and put her hands on his arms.

"Look, I'm about to die so whatever you say to me will be taken to my grave," Sarah Jane said. "And I promise I won't tell anyone else while I'm living, I just want to know the truth."

The Doctor studied her for a moment and then he looked around and guided her over to a nearby bench. They sat down and the Doctor sighed as he clasped his hands in front of him and looked down at them. He didn't speak for a moment and then he nodded.

"Yeah, we were," he said softly.

"I won't tell a soul," Sarah Jane said.

"Thank you," the Doctor said.

"May I ask why you took Rose back to the other universe, the real reason, I mean. I know you said that clone had to be looked after and I understand your not wanting him around but is there more to it?"

The Doctor sighed and kept staring at his hands.

"I couldn't give her what she needed, Sarah," the Doctor said, finally looking at her. "She wanted a serious commitment and I couldn't give it to her."

"Why not? You don't think you're worthy of love?" Sarah Jane said.

The Doctor considered that for a moment.

"Sometimes I wonder about that," he finally admitted.

"Doctor," Sarah Jane said as she touched his arm, "you are worthy enough to be loved. Don't ever think you aren't."

The Doctor smiled warmly at that and gave her a loving look. Sarah Jane squeezed his arm.

"So…no one else has your hearts then? You're just going to remain single your entire life," Sarah Jane. "I'm not meaning to be nosy but you know, I've always worried about you and I want you to be happy and have someone you care about and who cares about you. A lover, not just a companion."

"Well…actually," the Doctor said, looking down at his hands again. "There is someone. At least I think she's my lover, she's being way too vague for my liking. But whenever I try to ask her for information, she keeps saying, "Spoilers" to me. But she implied that she was my future wife."

"Really? Who is she?" Sarah Jane said.

"Her name is River Song, I met her in my last life. She knew me but I didn't know her and then I met her again just recently and she acts all mysterious and won't tell me how she's related to me. But she keeps on calling me sweetie and acting like we're lovers but she won't clarify if we are or not, it's frustrating."

"And do you care about her in that way?" Sarah Jane asked.

"I care about her as a friend but until she tells me more about herself, I'm not going to fall head over heels in love with her, no," the Doctor said. "She keeps telling me that she can't tell me right now who she is so I have no idea if she's even telling the truth. For all I know, she's a future enemy. She was in prison for killing a man but I don't know much about that event either. Sometimes, Sarah, time travel is frustrating."

"You're telling me? You're the one that dropped me off at Aberdeen," Sarah said with a twinkle in her eye.

"I'm sorry, alright," the Doctor said while she giggled. "I admit I was in a humongous hurry that day and I shoulda checked the coordinates and I didn't. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Actually, I'd never seen Aberdeen before so I had a bit of a sightseeing trip before I got back to Croydon, so thanks," Sarah Jane said, patting his arm. "I'm just glad you landed on Earth."

"Course I landed on Earth, Sarah, I'm not that thick," the Doctor said with a twinkle in his eye.

Sarah Jane gave him a playful shove and he chuckled as he put his arm around her. He slowed down and Sarah Jane slowed with them when they saw a Ferris Wheel up ahead of them. The Doctor smiled at his companion.

"Fancy a ride on the Big Wheel?" he asked her.

"I'd love to," she replied.

They headed for the queue and Sarah Jane jerked her head up when she heard Rani call to her. They waved at them when Rani, Clyde and Luke's Ferris Wheel car came down and went backwards, heading back up to the top again. While they waited, the Ferris Wheel slowed and stopped. Suddenly, Sarah Jane jerked her head up when she heard Rani let out a shriek.

"Damn it, Clyde, quit rocking it!" they heard her yell while Clyde and Luke laughed.

"So…more than a handful at times?" the Doctor asked her.

"You have no idea," Sarah Jane said as they Ferris Wheel started up again. "Still, I couldn't picture myself doing things without them. They've been a great help to me and Luke…"

The Doctor put his hand on her shoulder when she got a bit misty eyed.

"He's a good boy, Doctor. He'll make you proud," she said in a choked voice.

"I know he will and if he doesn't, well, I'll just have to beat him into submission," the Doctor said.

Sarah Jane chuckled while the Doctor winked at her. The Ferris Wheel stopped and began letting people off and on. The two of them moved up until they got on. Rani, Clyde and Luke stopped when they got through the exit and stood and watched them as they headed up. They stopped two more times to let people get on and off and then the ride started. Sarah Jane breathed the cool night air and looked around. In the distance she could see Big Ben and the London Eye across the Thames before the wheel started back down. As she rode, emotion overcame her and she began to cry softly. As she sobbed, she felt the Doctor's arm slide around her and he moved closer.

"Sarah?" he said.

"I'm sorry, I'm trying to be brave about this, but…"

"You're scared," the Doctor said.

Sarah Jane nodded and the Doctor moved closer.

"I'm sorry," Sarah Jane said, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"For what? I would be worried if you weren't afraid of dying," the Doctor said gently. "Most people fear death, even the bravest ones. You're brave, Sarah, but this is something new and you're going somewhere where there's no return, not to mention you're worried about your loved ones. There's no need to be ashamed, if you need to cry, cry. Cry, get angry, be afraid, be human, Sarah, that's what you are. I won't mock you; I'd be more worried if you faced your death with no emotion at all."

"I'm glad you're letting me die in the TARDIS, with you there, I won't be as frightened," Sarah Jane said.

The Doctor smiled and took her hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Don't worry, I'll make your death an easy one, I promise you that. Think of it as repayment for all the times you helped me," he said.

The Ferris Wheel slowed and stopped. They were at the top of the ride and they looked around. Then suddenly Sarah Jane shrieked when the Doctor grabbed the restraining bar and began to rock the car.

"Doctor!" she said as she heard the teenagers laughing.

"You know I seemed to recall and old song from the 1970's called Don't Rock the Boat," the Doctor said.

With a gleeful look, he began to rock the car while he sang out, "Don't rock the boat, don't rock the boat, baby. Don't rock the boat, don't tip the boat over!"

"Doctor, I swear to God, if you make me vomit, it's going all over your shirt and bow tie," Sarah Jane said.

She laughed when the Doctor gave her a horrified look as he put his hand over his bow tie.

"No, anything but that," he said before he gave her a cheerful grin.

As they went around, they noticed Amy and Rory walking up. They waved at them and Amy and Rory waved back before they went up again. As they reached the top, the Doctor groaned and Sarah Jane looked at him.

"What is it?" Sarah Jane asked.

"I see a roller coaster at the back. I bet Pond came all the way back here to find me to force me on it," he said.

"Force you? Can't imagine anyone forcing you to do anything," Sarah Jane said, amused.

"You don't know Pond like I do," the Doctor said as the Ferris Wheel slowed and stopped so the attendant could let people on and off. "Thanks to you, I have an excuse not to get on it."

"Who says? I might fancy a ride on it," Sarah Jane said.

"No, I'm begging you, don't go!" the Doctor said with clasped hands while Sarah Jane laughed.

The attendant reached them and the Doctor helped Sarah Jane out of the car before he jumped down from it. The teenagers and Amy and Rory met them at the exit. Amy had a plastic bag of pink candy floss in her hand and she handed it to Sarah Jane.

"Got this for ya. I figured you might like a bit of candy floss," she said to her.

"Actually, I would. I love candy floss, thank you, Amy," Sarah Jane said.

She started to tuck her unicorn under her arm when Rory offered to hold it for her. She thanked him and he took the plushie from her while she opened the bag and shared the candy floss with her friends before pulling off a large chunk.

"Doctor, guess what?" Amy said.

"You found a roller coaster," the Doctor said.

"Yup and guess what…" Amy said.

"I'm not riding it. I'm with Sarah and Sarah is deathly afraid of roller coasters and I don't want to leave her side and…"

"Actually, I like roller coasters," Sarah Jane said. "I might go on it myself and…"

They laughed when the Doctor slammed his hand over Sarah Jane's mouth and Sarah Jane shook with laughter after he removed it. The Doctor sighed and threw his hands up.

"Fine, we'll ride the roller coaster, just so you can see me do it and put this whole I will not ride roller coasters rubbish to rest. Lead the way, Pond, and we'll follow you," he said.

Amy nodded. She took Rory's hand and the two of them headed towards the back while everyone followed them.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Save me, Smith."

Sarah Jane glanced at the Doctor while they were walking and saw a desperate look on his face.

"Save you from what?" she said, amused.

The Doctor jabbed his finger at the roller coaster.

"Don't make me make Pond look bad, it would be bad form and I don't like bad form. Come up with a brilliant plan like you used to do when I was in a bind."

"Um…well…AMY!" she yelled.

Amy looked back at her.

"Yeah?" she said.

"Look, a clown!" Sarah Jane said, pointing off to her right.

Amy looked and then laughed when the Doctor ran away from them yelling, "I'm freeeee!" as he ran. Amy shook her head and chuckled when Sarah Jane patted her on the shoulder.

"He really doesn't want to ride the roller coaster, I suppose," Amy said as the Doctor jogged back to them. "Well, fine then, no one's forcing you to."

"You are," the Doctor said as they walked along, "you have this witch power inside you and the moment I disobey, I turn into a toad. Ribbit! Sarah, might I have a bit more candy floss?"

Sarah Jane handed him the bag of candy floss and he pulled out a bit and popped it in his mouth. On the way to the roller coaster, they spied Jack, Martha and Mickey and slowed down. Jack and Mickey were standing in the queue waiting to test their strength while Martha stood off to the side. The test of strength involved hitting the sledgehammer on a metal ball that would propel a smaller piece of metal up a pole. Written along the sides of the track the metal went up were things like weakling, average, heroic and at the top next to a bell, god. The idea was to send the metal ball to the very top. Martha saw them and walked over. In her hands she was carrying a plushie duck, bear, elephant and a miniature beach ball.

"Jack and Mickey saw this test of strength thing and decided to see who was more macho," Martha said to them. "They've spent most of their time on friendly competitions at the game booths and I've been reaping the rewards."

"Hey! Come back here and watch us, we need someone to verify the results," Mickey called to her.

"Forget it, Smith, you couldn't get that weight up past weakling," the Doctor said. "And Jack will only get as far as average man, if he really applies himself."

"Oh really? Care to back those words up?" Jack said.

"Yeah, you're so manly, come over here and show us how strong you are," Mickey said.

"And Rory!" Jack added.

"Me? How'd I get pulled into this?" Rory said while they laughed.

"You're a man and we wanna see who's the strongest. Now come over here and get in the queue," Jack said, beckoning to them.

"What about us? We're not men?" Clyde said, gesturing to himself and Luke.

"Come and try, if you think you're good enough," Jack said.

"What are we doing?" Luke said in confusion as he followed Clyde to the queue.

"Gotta hit that sledgehammer on the piece of metal and make that weigh go up to the top, show everyone how strong you are, mate," Clyde said.

He looked past his friend when Rani got into the queue behind him.

"I'm just as strong as any man," Rani said, lifting her chin.

"Yeah, so am I," Amy said, getting in the queue behind her.

They looked at the Doctor and Rory. Sarah Jane and Martha giggled when the Doctor looked at Rory.

"Well, are we men or are we mice?" the Doctor asked Rory.

"Look," Rory said, "I really don't care about this whole test of strength thing. I'm not so laden with testosterone that I have to go and break boards with my head just to prove I'm a man. You lot go ahead, I'll stay here with Sarah Jane and Martha."

"Go on, Doctor, show them the Doctor I knew in the olden days," Sarah Jane teased.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at that and looked at the queue. He eyed Jack when he began to make clucking sounds while the others giggled.

"Oh really, Harkness, you think I'm chicken?" the Doctor said.

"I'm standing in the queue and you're not," Jack said with a shrug.

"Oh…if I must, just to shut this lot up," the Doctor said. "I'll be back, Sarah, after I'm done making Jack eat crow. Excuse me."

"Eating crow…as in losing at the dart game," Rory said to Sarah Jane while the Doctor walked over to the queue.

Sarah Jane chuckled.

"Yes, but the Doctor can't resist a competition, been like that for as long as I've know him. He loves showing others how brilliant he is. It's something you get used to," she said.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Saw enough of that when I traveled with him," Martha said as she stood beside Sarah Jane.

While they watched, they heard rock and roll music drifting from a nearby booth. Pat Benatar's Heartbreaker was playing and to their amusement, Jack began bobbing back and forth while he sang along. Mickey averted his eyes while the teenagers and Amy laughed. The Doctor looked over at Martha, Rory and Sarah Jane and pointed to Jack before he spun his finger around his ear.

"Just watch, I'm sure the Doctor will be singing along any second now," Sarah Jane said to Rory and Martha.

"I hope not but I have a feeling you're right," Rory said.

Sarah Jane gazed at him for a moment.

"You're a bit shy, aren't you? Easily embarrassed?" Sarah Jane asked him. "Sorry, I'm just making an observation."

Rory nodded.

"Amy's more outgoing than I am," he said to Sarah Jane and Martha. "The Doctor's personality matches hers more than it matches mine but I'm trying my best to break out of my shell and be a bit more outgoing."

"I was the same way," Martha said. "Trust me, traveling with the Doctor cures you of shyness."

"Yes," Sarah Jane said. "Especially when you have to stand your ground against others. Just give it time, Rory, you'll become the shining star you were meant to be, trust me."

Rory smiled and Sarah Jane patted him on the shoulder.

"Here goes Jack," Martha said as he stepped up to the pole.

Jack rubbed his hands together to get the sweat off before grabbing the handle of the sledgehammer. He concentrated on the metal ball as he lifted the sledgehammer over his head. He slammed down with all his might and the ball shot up and hit the bell at the top, making it ring. Jack gave the sledgehammer to the attendant and chose a small duck plushie wearing a sailor suit. He turned and gave Mickey a smug grin as his friend came up to the pole. Mickey snorted and took the sledgehammer from the attendant while Jack walked a few feet away, turned and watched. Mickey gripped the handle, getting a feel for the heavy sledgehammer while he kept his eyes on the ball. Then with a groan, he hefted the sledgehammer over his head and slammed it down as hard as he could. He raised his hands triumphantly when the bell dinged and handed the sledgehammer to the attendant before choosing a small red bull plushie.

"Well done, Smith, makes a change from the squealy girl days," the Doctor said as he watched from the queue.

Mickey ignored him as he walked over to Jack.

"See, I'm just as manly as you are," he said smugly.

"Yeah, we'll see how manly you are when I put a big spider in your bed with you," Jack muttered as he turned and followed Mickey back towards Martha and the others. By now, David Bowie's Let's Dance was playing and Jack rocked back and forth while he sang while they waited for a middle aged balding man to get done so Clyde go take his turn.

"Come on, Rory, sing with me," Jack said to him.

Rory glanced at him and Jack nodded.

"And if you say run, I'll run with you," he sang encouragingly to him. "Come on, Rory, who gives a damn what people think. Sing. When you're with the Doctor, you throw all caution to the wind and say who cares what people think.

Rory sidled over to him and began to sing. The others laughed and began to sway as they joined in. A few people gave them curious looks but they ignored them as they sang. The Doctor and Amy shared a look and laughed while the teens tried to pretend they didn't know them. The Doctor grinned and joined in with them, singing while Amy danced in place and swayed back and forth. The man in front of Clyde only got to He-Man, one level below the top and received a keychain as a consolation prize. His friends cheered Clyde on as he stepped up to the attendant and took the sledgehammer. He winced when he picked it up.

"Blimey, this is heavy," he muttered.

He tried to get it over his head but he only managed to get it up to his face. He hit the metal bar and groaned when he only reached average man.

"Tough luck, mate," the attendant said, handing him a key chain before taking the sledgehammer from him.

Clyde looked downcast even though his friends were applauding him.

"I think I'm gonna have to start working out," he muttered to Sarah Jane as she put an arm around him.

They watched as Luke came up and took the sledgehammer. He stood there for a moment in thought while the attendant gave him an odd look.

"You gonna try it, mate?" the attendant finally said.

"Yeah, just making a few calculations," Luke said.

The Doctor gave him a proud smile while the attendant gave Luke another odd look. Luke picked up the sledgehammer, testing the weight for a moment and then as hard as he could he slammed it down. Everyone cheered and Clyde's mouth dropped open when they heard the ding.

"No…way," Clyde said as Luke selected a plushie soccer ball and gave the sledgehammer back to the attendant. "Mate, you're gonna have to teach me how to do that," he said to Luke as he walked towards everyone.

"I just did a few simple calculations, weight of the sledgehammer, distance to the top, air speed, that sort of thing, it was very simple," Luke said to Clyde.

"Yeah," Clyde said with a snort, "if you say so, mate."

He walked over to his mother and Sarah Jane put his arm around Luke while they watched Rani. Clyde's mouth dropped open when she raised the sledgehammer nearly above her head and slammed it down, making the bell ding. She selected a white elephant and smugly walked towards her friends.

"How come everyone's stronger than I am?" Clyde said.

"I lift weights," Rani said. "Mum and Dad got me hand weights when I started helping Sarah Jane and I built up my strength. Maybe you should do the same instead of sitting in front of the Xbox all day, yeah?"

"Yeah," Clyde muttered as Rani gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

Clyde looked back at Jack and Rory who were now singing Duran Duran's Union of the Snake.

"Can you be any more embarrassing?" Clyde said to them while everyone laughed.

"Actually, I can, Clyde," Jack said. "Come on, who cares what people think? Join in."

"No thanks, I don't really know this song, you lot have fun," Clyde said while Jack nudged Rory.

They watched while Amy stepped up and took the sledgehammer.

"Come on, Pond, make me proud," the Doctor said as he stood behind her.

Amy rubbed her hands together and gripped the handle. She tensed her body and with a yell, raised the sledgehammer up to her forehead and brought it back down hard. She grinned when the bell dinged and everyone applauded while she also chose the white elephant and handed the sledgehammer back. She walked over to the others and quickly turned when the Doctor stepped up and took the sledgehammer from the attendant. He smiled warmly when the attendant took in his outfit.

"Nice bow tie, mate," the attendant said dryly.

"Bow ties are cool," he, Rory and Amy said at the same time.

The attendant rolled his eyes when Amy and Rory laughed and the Doctor saluted them. He gripped the handle of the sledgehammer, a fierce look of concentration on his face and then he swung it up over his head and slammed it down, easily making the bell ring. He chose a brown horse plushie and walked back to the others.

"Congratulations, Professor," Jack said dryly, "didn't know you had it in ya."

"Don't call me that, please. I had one companion call me that even though I kept asking her not to and it drove me batty," the Doctor said to him. "So…have I proven myself, Harkness? Satisfied that I have the muscles to back up my mouth?"

"I don't know, your mouth is pretty big," Jack said.

He and Mickey giggled as the Doctor gave Sarah Jane the horse. He turned, stared at the roller coaster and looked at Amy. Amy gave him a pointed look as she jabbed her finger at it.

"Oh, if I must," the Doctor said, walking away with the others towards the roller coaster.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Amy rolled her eyes while everyone else laughed at the Doctor. All the way to the roller coaster, the Doctor was being melodramatic, feigning tears and begging his companions to save him.

"For the love of God, you really can act like a baby when you want to," Amy finally said.

"Help me," the Doctor moaned. "The mean woman is making me get on the big scary thing. I don't wanna get on the big scary thing. Please stop her from making me get on the big scary thing."

"For shame, Amy, you're traumatizing the poor man," Jack chided.

"After all he's seen?" Amy said as they laughed. "It'll take a lot for me to be able to traumatize him."

"You're right," the Doctor said. "Although, there have been many traumatizing things that happened to me in my lifetimes. Why, I remember one incident where I was nearly buried alive in jam."

"Jam?" Amy said.

"Yup, it was on the planet Jimmy Jammy Jam. Martha and I were captured by the Smuckers tribe and sealed up in a huge jam jar while strawberry jam was pumped in through the side."

Everyone looked at Martha. They laughed when she shook her head at that.

"Gee, Martha's saying that didn't happen," Amy said to the Doctor.

"Course it happened," the Doctor said. "Don't you remember, Martha, we were going to be mummified in delicious strawberry jam while the members of the Smuckers tribe stood around and chanted, jammy jam jam, jammy jam jam, jam goes good with potatoes and ham."

"Whatever you say, Doctor," Martha said while the others giggled.

"Then there was the time I was almost skinned alive by King Fruit who owned a wonderful loom that would have made me into underwear. Skin underwear, can you imagine?"

"I think the regeneration has finally caught up with him, it's deteriorating his brain," Jack said dryly.

"Then there was the time Jack was enslaved and made to spread peanut butter on an elephant's private parts. Then he was forced to lick it off while women watched, course I wasn't there but that's what I heard."

"Wait, how did you find out about that?" Jack said before he laughed along with the others.

"Oi! Professor! Shouldn't you be teaching class somewhere?"

The Doctor froze when he heard a teenager yell that at him. He turned to see a gangly man with long blonde hair and blue eyes grinning back at him while other teenagers, male and female surrounded him. They all walked away laughing when the Doctor gave them a dirty look and yelled out "PROFESSOR!" as they hurried away from them.

"Then," the Doctor said, turning back and resuming his walk to the roller coaster, "there was the time I took a bunch of snot-nosed teenagers, put them in a blender and hit the puree button. Then I stood back and laughed maniacally as their bodies were reduced to a bloody, pulpy goo. Ah, here we are, the roller coaster. Now where is Pond?"

"Here I am, are you ready to prove me wrong?" Amy said, stepping up beside him.

"Oh, I suppose. But I really feel like putting you in a jam jar and perhaps pumping in some grape jam? Bit peckish for some grape jam at the moment. But anyway, is everyone here queuing up?"

"Actually," Sarah Jane said, "I hate to be a wet blanket but I think I better sit this out just in case it makes me sick. I'll sit on that bench over there and wait for you," she added, pointing to a bench in front of a food cart.

"I'll sit with her," Rory said. "Roller coasters don't interest me that much. I can keep an eye on her as well."

"Yes, Rory's a nurse so you'll be in good hands. Actually, Martha's a doctor so you'd be in even better hands but I s'pose she's going with us."

"Yup," Martha said, "but if you need any medical assistance, Rory and I are here for you," she said to Sarah Jane.

"And me, I'm not a doctor per say, but I do have medical knowledge, just throwing that out there!' the Doctor said, raising his hand. "Well, are we all ready then?"

Martha handed her plushies to Rory and everyone except Sarah Jane and Rory walked towards the queue. Rory and Sarah Jane headed for the bench. While they walked, Sarah Jane chuckled to herself. She smiled when Rory gave her a quizzical look.

"Being entombed in a jam jar, this regeneration has quite an imagination," she said to him as they set the plushies down on the bench and sat down. "Course his fourth life also had some entertaining stories but those were true tales, at least I think they were."

"I've heard a few of his stories but most of the time he's either ordering us about or telling jokes," Rory said.

"He probably wouldn't do it now but when I first traveled with him, he used to tell me stories about Gallifrey or legends and ghost stories he heard as a boy. That was wonderful. Spent a lot of hours listening to him tell me things like that."

"Sounds great," Rory said. "Did you ever see Gallifrey for yourself?"

"No," Sarah Jane said softly as she looked at her hands. "He was summoned back to Gallifrey by the Time Lords and when I traveled with him, humans weren't allowed to go there so he took me back home."

"He couldn't have just dropped you off somewhere? When Amy and I married, he let us spend our honeymoon on this planet and then we took a space shuttle cruise which nearly crashed if not for him…but anyway, he just dumped you back on Earth?"

"Well, to be honest, I probably could have convinced him to take me somewhere and leave me until he was finished but I did want to go home. I missed it after traveling with the Doctor for years. I've talked to a few of the Doctor's companions in the past and asked them why they left and most of them just got tired of the constant stress and strain of traveling and wanted to resume their lives. It's a wonderful experience but most of us don't have the Doctor's endurance to keep on fighting. Even he changed into his second body after the first one became run down and gave out. Someday, you and Amy will probably make the same decision."

"I might but I don't know about Amy. I think she likes traveling with the Doctor too much," Rory said. "To be honest, I thinks she likes the Doctor, full stop."

"Do you think he and she…" Sarah Jane said, trailing off when Rory shrugged.

"Dunno. Amy says no but she's been infatuated with him ever since he landed in her garden when she was seven. It was the night he regenerated and she said he was a bit out of sorts, acted strangely, was trying out different foods to find the one he liked the best. Turns out it was fish fingers and custard…together."

Rory nodded when Sarah Jane made a face at that.

"He left her for fourteen years and in that time, we grew up together. She made me pretend to be the Doctor when we were small and that's partly the reason why I became a nurse. I was trying to become a doctor so she'd think of me as her Doctor but I only made it as far as nurse, at least for now. She married me but sometimes I feel like she married him along with me. S'pose I'm being jealous and paranoid but after spending several years being her pretend Doctor, I can't help thinking that her obsession might have gone a bit too far."

Sarah Jane nodded sympathetically.

"If it makes you feel better, Rory, I did the same thing Amy did. I met the Doctor during his third life and after awhile I also feel head over heels in love with him. He never showed anything other than platonic love to me but sometimes I imagined that it was something more. And maybe it was, after all, the Doctor is a master at hiding his feelings from others. But I spent my years pining for him after he left me and hoping he would come back for me. I never went so far as to make others pretend to be him but I never married and I never had any relationships that lasted very long because I could never find anyone who could measure up to him. He's a very remarkable man but he's also an honorable man and I seriously doubt that he'll come between you and Amy. Wrecking your marriage is the last thing he'd want to do. Besides, I think his hearts still belong to Rose."

"Rose?" Rory said with a frown. "You mean River?"

"No, he spoke to me about River but there's another woman named Rose."

Rory listened in silent fascination while she told him what the Doctor had told her about Rose. She then made him swear not to tell the Doctor what she'd said and Rory emphatically swore he wouldn't. After telling him about Rose, Rory went and got some hot tea from a nearby cart and they were drinking it and chatting when the others walked up. The Doctor raised his arms triumphantly.

"I did it, I rode the roller coaster! Did you see me?" he asked them.

"No, sorry, Rory and I were chatting while you did that," Sarah Jane said apologetically.

The Doctor threw up his hands in mock exasperation.

"Here I was on the roller coaster being incredibly brave and dashing and no one saw it, what's the point of having you all!"

"I saw it," Jack said, raising his hand.

"Whoopie, Harkness saw it, that makes me feel so much better. At least he paid attention," the Doctor said while they laughed. "Ah well, at least you got to chat with Rory and get to know him better. Come on, you two, the night's still young."

Sarah Jane and Rory stood up. Martha grabbed her plushies while Sarah Jane grabbed her horse and unicorn. She came up beside the Doctor and he gave her an affectionate smile before everyone headed off to see what else there was to do.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

(Two days later…)

Sarah Jane raised her hospital bed up and used her remote to switch on the television that was sitting on the chest of drawers across the room from her. After going to the funfair, the Doctor brought her back to the TARDIS and she was thrilled that in their absence the TARDIS made a custom room for her near the Doctor, Rory and Amy's rooms and also made guest rooms for Rani and Clyde as well as a permanent room for Luke. Unlike the hospital room, her room was comfortable and homely with a hospital bed that had a genuine mattress on it and not a plastic one. Rory and Martha took turns caring for her while the Doctor took the house back to 13 Bannerman Road. He and the others brought K9 inside and began cleaning up her house and moving Mister Smith inside the TARDIS while Sarah Jane packed a light bag and Luke began moving the things he wanted into his room. She had just woken from a restful sleep to another morning. She turned on the news and listened while she sipped some hot tea that the TARDIS had provided for her. While she was doing that, she smiled at Martha when she came into the room, stethoscope around her neck and clipboard containing her medical chart in hand along with a bag holding her medical supplies.

"Good morning, Doctor Jones," Sarah Jane said.

"Good morning, Sarah Jane, how are you feeling this morning?" Martha said, setting the bag on a nearby chair and the clipboard on the bed across Sarah Jane's legs.

"Been better but I can't complain," Sarah Jane said while Martha pulled down her pink duvet and put the ear buds of the stethoscope in her ears. "How is everyone?"

"They're doing well. Still going through your house, making sure that all alien tech is brought inside the TARDIS," she said, holding the diaphragm against her heart. "Take several deep breaths for me, yeah?"

Sarah inhaled and exhaled deeply while Martha listened. While Martha was examining her and recording it on her chart, K9 came into the room.

"Mistress, Doctor Master wishes to see you as soon as you are ready," he said to her.

"Tell him I'll be there as soon as Martha finishes updating my chart," Sarah Jane said to her, rising up so Martha could listen to her lungs.

"Affirmative, Mistress," K9 said before he glided out of the room.

Martha finished checking Sarah Jane's vitals twenty minutes later and gave her the Doctor's medicine before she gathered up everything and left. Once the medicine kicked in, Sarah Jane slid out of bed and put a dark blue dressing gown over her white nightdress. She slipped on powder blue slippers and padded down the hallway to the console room. When he got there, the Doctor was sitting on the glass floor around his console, his legs dangling off the end.

"I have a surprise for you, Sarah," he said. "I managed to bring a few more friends here to see you. They're outside the front door."

"Oh, I better dress properly then," Sarah Jane said.

"Nah, no need, they won't care what you look like, they're just concerned about you," the Doctor said, sliding off the rim of the raised floor and landing on the ground below.

She took his hand and they walked out the door. Sarah Jane was overjoyed to see Maria and her father standing there. She hugged them both tightly while she fought back the tears.

"We were going to come by aeroplane but the Doctor came and got us and brought us back here," Alan said when he finished hugging her. "We're glad he did."

"So am I, I'm glad you're here with me," Sarah Jane said.

"That's not all," the Doctor said. "Okay, you can come in now!" he yelled.

Sarah Jane's mouth dropped open when Jo Jones and Santiago came through the attic door.

"Sweetie!" Jo said as they rushed over to hug Sarah Jane. "Oh my, I'm sooo glad the Doctor found us."

"Wasn't an easy task either," the Doctor said as Sarah Jane hugged them. "The TARDIS was determined to find them though."

"We were visiting the Taj Mahal," Jo said. "Got some photos if you'd like to see them."

"I'd love to," Sarah Jane said, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Before you do, Sarah, come over here, Mister Smith wanted to say something before we unplugged him and started dismantling him," the Doctor said.

Sarah Jane nodded. She walked over to Mister Smith who was already open and waiting. The other TARDIS inhabitants were standing off to the side, watching quietly while Sarah Jane stepped up to the computer.

"Yes, Mister Smith?" she said.

"Sarah Jane, I understand what is happening to you and I wanted to tell you that I have enjoyed my time here and I'm glad I could be of service to you in your fight to protect Earth. I will miss you very much. I just wanted you to know this before I am taken offline."

"Thank you," Sarah Jane said in a choked up voice while the Doctor put his hand on her shoulder.

"We just wanted you to hear that, Sarah. Now if you want to go inside the TARDIS with Jo and Santiago and Maria and Alan, we'll take care of things out here."

He smiled when Sarah Jane kissed his cheek. She walked back into the TARDIS with the newcomers while the others set about the task of disassembling Mister Smith and moving him into the TARDIS.

A few days later, the TARDIS was sailing through the vortex. The Doctor put her there so there would be no distractions. Meanwhile, Sarah Jane began denying herself doses of the medicine, using them sparingly when she sensed that the moment of death was approaching. The Doctor switched to a pain medicine to keep her comfortable and pain free and Rory and Martha took turns checking on her every hour. The others kept her company and tried to keep the conversation lighthearted, reminiscing with her or sharing past adventures. Sarah Jane noticed the Doctor was joining in but she could tell that at times his smile was forced the more ill and weaker she became. Her appetite was beginning to decrease, although she tried to eat to keep some of her strength up and took as much fluids as she could handle. Eventually though, Martha switched to a saline IV and the TARDIS provided her with a call light when she started needing help walking to the adjoining bathroom. The call light, when activated, flashed the lights in the console room and in most of the major rooms but the Doctor soon insisted on having the TARDIS provide voice access, trusting in that more.

Then one day, the Doctor entered the room to check on Sarah Jane. She was by herself, listening to Strictly Come Dancing while she read a book. Every once in awhile, she would look up to see what was happening on the television before her eyes returned to the book. She had lost a lot of weight and there were dark patches under her eyes. Her skin was also paler and she looked a bit haggard but she still managed a smile when her friend came in the room and sat the book down on the blanket in front of her.

"I'm glad you're here," she said softly as the Doctor approached. "I have something to tell you."

"Oh?" the Doctor said, pulling up a chair and taking her hand.

"I saw Harry and the Brigadier and my mum and dad a few hours ago, standing just there, in the corner," she said, pointing to the right side of the room. "They didn't say anything, just smiled at me but I think they came to let me know that they're waiting to take me back to Heaven with them and then they vanished."

The Doctor smiled and squeezed her hand, trying to fight the urge to cry. Despite his efforts, a single tear escaped and rolled down his cheek and Sarah Jane let go of his hand to wipe it away.

"Don't cry, I'm not afraid," Sarah Jane said to him. "I know I'm going to a better place and I won't be going alone now. I'll be surrounded by family and friends, on this side and the other. I just want to thank you for letting me be here."

"It was an honor, my Sarah," the Doctor said, fighting back the overwhelming emotions.

"I wanted to ask you something," Sarah Jane said.

"Anything," the Doctor said.

"I don't want to linger and waste away. I was wondering perhaps if you had something that would give me a quick, painless death so I'll be able to die surrounded by all of you. I don't want to go when no one's here."

"Yes, I can do that," the Doctor said. "Whenever you're ready…"

"I'm ready, whenever you are. I know how hard this is for you. I know you're used to running from things like this and I'm glad you're staying with me till the end."

"Oh Sarah, it would be an insult to run from you now when you need me the most," the Doctor said tenderly as he laid his hand on her shoulder. "I'm in awe of such bravery. You have been stellar through all this and now, you want to die on your own terms at your own time, I wouldn't expect any less from you."

Sarah Jane smiled and nodded. The Doctor gazed at her for a moment and then had a sudden thought.

"I want to give you something, Sarah, something to honor you and show you how much I appreciated you being my companion all those years."

"You don't have to give me anything, Doctor."

"I know but I want to. I want to give you my name."

He chuckled when Sarah Jane gave him a confused look.

"I want to tell you my real name. See, River knows it although why I told it to her, I still have no idea but she whispered it to me so I know she knows it. I know that you'll keep my name a secret even on the other side and I want you to know it because I think you've earned the right to know."

"Thank you," Sarah Jane said in a choked up voice.

He smiled and squeezed her hand before he bent over to her ear. Sarah Jane dared not breathe as he put his lips to her ear and then she heard a wonderful, melodious sound, an alien language that was like music to her ears. She didn't understand the name he told her or what it might mean but she loved the sound of it just the same and she thanked him when he leaned back up.

"It's beautiful," she said to him.

"Eh, it's a common Gallifreyan name, really," the Doctor said with a shrug.

"Well, if that was common, it was a beautiful common name and thank you for sharing it with me," Sarah Jane said. "I won't tell a soul, I swear."

"I know, I trust you, Sarah, always have. So…are you ready or do you need more time?"

"I'm ready, don't think I can take much more of Strictly Come Dancing," Sarah Jane said, making a face.

"Oh come now, it's not that bad," he said while she laughed.

He kissed her forehead and told her he was going to tell the others about her decision. Sarah Jane nodded and relaxed as he left the room. She flipped the channels and found a game show, watching it while she waited. Slowly, everyone except the Doctor came into the room and she turned off the TV. She hugged them and said her goodbyes while everyone hugged back, tears streaming down their faces.

Meanwhile, the Doctor was in his lab. He had started mixing together the serum that would give his friend a quick, painless death when emotion overcame him and he began to weep. He had to sit down on a stool and cry softly, letting his tears flow because he wasn't sure he could hold it together when the moment came to euthanize his friend. The TARDIS hummed sympathetically and touched his mind, trying to give him comfort. When the Doctor saw a flash out of the corner of his eye, he looked and noticed that the TARDIS had made the serum for him and put it in a syringe.

"Thanks, old girl," he said, wiping the tears from his cheeks. "I still have to be the one to put it in her veins though and I'm going to have to use every ounce of willpower just to do this. This is probably the hardest thing I'll ever have to do but I agree with Sarah. I'd rather see her go peacefully than linger on and waste away to nothing. It's just…"

He sighed and looked at his hands before looking up at the ceiling.

"You know I loved her, didn't you?" he asked the TARDIS. "I loved my Sarah but I never had the guts to tell her that, just like I never had the guts to tell Rose. When it comes to expressing my feelings, I'm a coward."

He sat for a moment in quiet contemplation, readying himself for what he had to do. Finally, he rose and let out a heavy sigh as he walked over to the counter and grabbed the syringe. He stared at the clear liquid inside and felt his insides knot up while he tried not to cry again. Then with leaden feet, he headed out the door to Sarah Jane's room.

When he reached it, he paused and peeked inside, smiling when he heard laughter instead of tears and saw everyone joking and laughing with one another. Luke was sitting at his mother's side and she had her hand on his back, rubbing it while she talked to them. The Doctor put the syringe in his jacket pocket and everyone looked at him when he walked inside the room.

"I have the serum, I'll inject it in the IV tube whenever you're ready," he said.

Sarah Jane shared a look with everyone and the Doctor frowned when everyone got up and started going out the door. Rory shut the door behind him when everyone was out and the Doctor gave Sarah Jane a confused look.

"I wanted to say goodbye again. I figured you would get emotional and you wouldn't want everyone standing around giving you a slack jawed look while he cried," she said.

The Doctor's face fell and Sarah Jane held her hand out to him as tears began to fall down his cheeks.

"Don't worry, I won't tell," she whispered to him as he embraced her, his body shaking with silent sobs. "I know you like to appear in control of things but sometimes it's okay to just let go and be emotional."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said as he looked up. "I didn't mean to do this in front of you."

"But I want you to do it, it needs to be done," Sarah Jane said. "You're not a Dalek who can't feel anything. You need to mourn and grieve along with everyone else."

"I'll miss you, Sarah," the Doctor said, stroking her cheek.

"But I'll always be with you. I will be with you and looking in on you and waiting for you on the other side…although I'm sure I'll have to wait a billion years before you go through your eleven hundred bodies, but I'll wait."

The Doctor chuckled at that and sniffed while Sarah Jane winked at him.

"And thank you for killing me humanely and not stuffing me in a jam jar and filing it up with strawberry jam," she added.

The Doctor laughed through his tears.

"Well, that could be arranged, you know," he teased as he poked her arm.

"No thanks, I'll take whatever you have in that syringe over jam in a jar," she said.

The Doctor stared at her for a moment, taking in her beauty that age and sickness couldn't erase. Sarah Jane smiled back at him and he thought her even more beautiful that way.

"Oh, what the hell," he finally said after a moment's silence.

"Oh, what the hell, what?" Sarah Jane said, amused.

The Doctor sat down beside her on the bed and took her hand.

"I was in the lab being a blubbering baby and thinking to myself what a fool I've been all these years," the Doctor said while Sarah Jane listened quietly. "You see, you're right, I'm not a Dalek and there were times when I did act like one, particularly when it came to matters of the hearts. I've cared for everyone who has traveled with me or shared my life, even if it was just to help me at some point. But there were several women who managed to embed themselves into my hearts."

"Rose," Sarah Jane said.

"She's one of them, yes. But I believe, Sarah, you were the first one to do it."

He smiled when he saw the surprise on her face and he scooted closer to her.

"I…do love you, Sarah. You managed to work your way into my hearts and there you've stayed but the problem was, I was afraid to say it for the same reason I was afraid to tell Rose. I was devastated when you left and I cursed the Time Lords all the way to Gallifrey for not allowing you to come with me. But…perhaps I was afraid if you stayed with me any longer I might not be able to keep up the pretense of only being your friend and become more than that and risk having my hearts broken in future. After all, I could have just dropped you off and came back for you at some point in time."

Sarah Jane nodded at that and squeezed his hand. The Doctor squeezed back, gathering the strength to say what he wanted to say from her.

"I didn't say what I needed to say to Rose and ended up watching my clone say it for me and then had to force myself to turn and walk away, even though I felt the urge to turn back and scream my love for her. I did that, Sarah, I would turn my back, always turn my back on anything uncomfortable like that and just run and I don't want to do that with you. I want you to go to sleep knowing that I love you and always have and I will continue to love you for the rest of my lives."

Tears ran down Sarah Jane's face. She sniffed and smiled at that.

"Thank you," she whispered to him.

The Doctor nodded. He hesitated a moment, leaned over and kissed her lips. Sarah Jane sighed as the kiss deepened. After thirty seconds, he stopped and leaned his head against her forehead, feeling the warm skin that he knew would grow cold very soon.

"Goodbye, my beloved Sarah, I will always love you," he said softly.

"And, I will always love you, for all eternity," Sarah Jane whispered.

The Doctor kissed her forehead before he stood up. Sarah Jane watched quietly while he went to the door, opened it and let everyone come back inside. They gathered around her and watched quietly as the Doctor took the syringe out of his pocket, stuck the needle into the IV tube and injected the serum into her veins. When he finished, he laid the empty syringe on the table and Sarah Jane looked around at all the tear stained faces.

"I'm so glad I got to know all of you," she said to them. "I lost my mum and dad and didn't have much of a family growing up, but all of you have become my family and I'm glad you're all here with me now. I'm only sorry that I didn't get to know some of you more closely and spent more time with you, but now is the time for me to go. Luke?"

Luke came up to her side and bent over her face. Sarah Jane reached her hand up and stroked his cheek.

"You've been the perfect son and I'm glad I found you," she said as tears streamed down Luke's face. "Mind what the Doctor says or the cheeky bastard will stick you in a jam jar."

The Doctor grinned at that as everyone laughed. Luke sat down beside her and held her hand.

"Amy, Rory, I'm glad I met you both. Please help look after Luke as long as you're here?"

They both nodded and she smiled.

"I know you'll make the Doctor proud just like everyone here has made him proud."

"It was an honor to know you, Sarah Jane," Amy said in a choked voice.

"Take care," Rory added.

Sarah Jane nodded. She looked at Jack who was standing to her right side with Mickey and Martha.

"And you, I'll miss you telling me I look good for my age," she said to him.

Jack chuckled.

"Still look good, not even Death can ruin your good looks," he said as Sarah Jane squeezed his hand.

"Martha, look after Mickey, he's a handful," Sarah Jane said.

"Tell me something I don't know," Martha said

"And don't scream like a girl, Mickey, or the Doctor will make fun of you again," Sarah Jane said to him with a wink.

Mickey rolled his eyes and chuckled as he took her hand and squeezed it. She smiled at him and looked at Jo and Santiago.

"I really hate that I didn't get to know either of you better and that we met under odd circumstances," Sarah Jane said to them.

"Well, I'm proud to know you," Jo said. "You've been so brave, throughout all of this and it's easy to see why the Doctor chose you as a companion."

"I wish I could have known you better," Santiago said. "But I'm glad I did meet you."

"And I'm glad I met you. I hope you get to travel some more with your gran," she said.

Her eyes landed on Clyde, Rani, Maria and Alan.

"And my team, how could I have done it without you?" she said to them as tears ran down their cheeks. "You've made me so proud and I hope you continue to help Earth, after you've graduated from school, that is."

Everyone made room for the teenagers and they came close to her. She hugged them all and kissed their cheeks, whispering her love for them and her goodbyes as they echoed her sentiments back to her. She held them for a moment and then they stood back as K9 came up to her. The Doctor helped her lean up a bit so she could see him.

"K9, be a good dog and help the Doctor. He's your master again, so obey him," she said.

"Affirmative, Mistress. Have a good journey," K9 said.

Sarah Jane reached down and patted his head and smiled as K9 wagged his tail and rotated his ears. Then the Doctor gently laid her back against the pillow and everyone gathered around as Sarah Jane began to breathe deeply, trying to relax so her soul could release itself from her body. Her eyes closed and everyone watched quietly as she fell into a deep sleep and then a coma. Everyone wept softly as her breathing became erratic before she finally took her final breath and died. After that, everyone took turns kissing her cheeks and forehead and Rory checked her pulse, confirming that she had died. The Doctor and everyone else left the room then so Luke could have some time alone with his mother. Everyone left the room and the Doctor followed them. As he closed the door, he looked back at Sarah Jane and a tear rolled down his cheek as he mouthed, "My beloved Sarah, rest in peace." Before closing the door completely.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The Doctor, Jack and Rory finished wrapping Sarah Jane's remains in a thick white linen cloth and tying it with cord so they could take her somewhere for cremation. Inside the linen, everyone had laid mementos, drawings, letters or trinkets that would be with her on her funeral pyre. After they were done, all of them pulled up chairs in the small room and rested. The only things in the small room was a long, wooden table where Sarah's body had been laid out and four wooden chairs. The white walls were devoid of any decoration since the TARDIS made the room so they would have somewhere to wrap her remains.

"So, this is how they did it on Gallifrey?" Jack asked the Doctor as he gestured to the wrapped corpse.

"Yes. I'm going to take her to some planet and we'll build a funeral pyre out of wood and light it," the Doctor said. "This shroud is a specialized burial shroud that is found on Varnos Five. It is flame retardant and the heat will seal the shroud over Sarah's body and conform to it like a cocoon. It won't burn but it will allow the flames to burn the body within and as the body is reduced to flames the shroud will shrink and keep the ashes inside it. That way when the creamation is done, we'll have a small bag that holds all the ashes and we won't have to dig through the pyre trying to determine what's her ashes and what's not."

"Wow, that's a very clever idea," Rory said.

"Yes. I've never had to use this type of shroud before but I never had to worry about collecting the ashes and I want Luke to have all the ashes of his mother intact in the jar."

Rory and Jack nodded and gazed at the shrouded corpse.

"I'm gonna miss her, she was a very classy lady," Jack finally said.

The Doctor nodded.

"That she was and more," he said. "The universe is a bit dimmer now without her."

Jack and Rory nodded. Then they noticed the odd look on the Doctor's face and watched him turn his head and look behind him at the empty wall.

"What's wrong?" Jack said.

"Thought someone touched my shoulder, must have been my imagination," the Doctor said, looking at him and Rory.

"Maybe that was Sarah Jane," Rory said with a shrug. "Letting you know she's around us."

The Doctor considered that for a moment and nodded.

"I hope so and it's not some invisible monster that somehow got inside here," he said to them.

He looked over when the door opened and the teens, Alan and Amy came inside the room. They froze when they saw the wrapped corpse and the Doctor beckoned to Luke. Luke came over and put his hands on his mother's chest while he stared down at her in silent contemplation. While he did that, Rani came up to the Doctor's side.

"Um…I don't know how to tell you this but I think Sarah Jane is haunting the TARDIS," Rani said to the Doctor.

Jack and Rory shared a glance while the Doctor turned his attention to her.

"How'd ya mean?" he asked.

Amy came up behind Rani and Rani gestured to her.

"Amy and I were fixing lunch in the kitchen when suddenly we heard someone behind us calling my name, very softly like a whisper, and we turned and no one was there," Rani said.

"I heard it too, plain as day," Amy added. "And right after it happened, I suddenly got gooseflesh and started getting the shivers from this cold spot that came up on me."

"I did as well," Rani said. "And I felt fingers on the back of my neck but there was no one around us. We talked about it and wondered if Sarah Jane was still here."

The Doctor glanced at Jack and Rory.

"Tell them what happened to you," Jack said.

"I thought someone touched my shoulder a few minutes ago as I was finishing up with Sarah's body but no one was near me and Rory mentioned that he thought it might be Sarah when I told them what happened," the Doctor said.

"Do ya think it's mum then?" Luke asked.

The Doctor thought for a moment.

"In my seventh life, I was forced to land in San Francisco after attending the execution of the Master on Skaro. The Master managed to get inside the console and screw it up so I had to land. He got out and possessed the body of a human and took him over. I was shot by these teens who were trying to kill this teenager called Lee and I regenerated. When I was on the operating table, there was a surgeon called Grace who tried to save my life and after I regenerated, I found her again and she helped me defeat the Master. However, the Master managed to kill both her and Lee but Grace was able to fix the TARDIS and program it to go back in time before she died. While I was watching their bodies, I saw this glowing light come down and enter them and they came back to life. I assume that was their souls. I told them that they'd both been somewhere I'd never been and Grace told me it was nothing to be afraid of, so apparently her soul went somewhere pleasant. Sarah said that just before she died, she saw Harry Sullivan and the Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and her parents standing in the room with her. All of them have died and she assumed they were there waiting on her to die so they could be with her on her journey to the afterlife. I also had another friend die whose name was Astrid Peth. I couldn't save her and I watched what was left of her become stardust, in effect, and she went out a nearby window. So it may be possible that Sarah is here, watching us from another dimension or wherever Heaven might be and she's making contact with us, letting us know she's okay. All I know is I felt a hand on my shoulder and neither Jack nor Rory was behind me."

"So she could be here right now," Rory said.

The Doctor shrugged.

"Never know. I'd like to think that she is, still watching over and loving us from beyond the grave," he said. "It's better than just her dying and that's all…"

He trailed off when Luke suddenly got an odd look on his face, jerked his hand up to the back of his neck and looked behind him at Rory. Rory raised an eyebrow.

"Your mum do something?" he said while everyone laughed.

"Someone just kissed the back of my neck, I could feel it, honestly," Luke said.

"Yup, I have a feeling that we'll be experiencing these odd phenomena for awhile," the Doctor said. "I'm sure Sarah wants to make sure that we know she's still with us even if we can't see her. But for the moment, I think we should concentrate on finding a planet so we can conduct a funeral service for her. So let's find Martha and Mickey and Jo and Santiago and I'll let the TARDIS find us a suitable place to build her pyre while I explain what's going to happen."

(Meanwhile, a universe away…)

Rose snored softly as she lay on her right side in her bedroom. Behind her, snuggled up against her was her husband, John, the clone the Doctor had entrusted to her. They had been married for two years and lived in a large house in downtown London that her mother and father had helped them buy when they first got married. Rose slept peacefully and as she did, she began to dream.

She saw herself standing in the middle of a forest in a clearing. On her right side was an old battered wooden picnic table. She was dressed in black trousers, a pink t-shirt and a black leather jacket. While she was looking around wondering where she was at, she sensed someone behind her and turned to see Sarah Jane walking towards her, wearing a long, flowing white dress and white slippers. A warm smile was on her face as she opened her arms wide. Rose smiled back at her friend and did the same, meeting her halfway as they embraced each other.

"It's been so long since I saw you again, Rose, far too long," Sarah Jane said when she pulled back. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too but…where are we?"

"Oh, a neutral spot, a place I could find where I could call your soul to me," Sarah Jane said.

"Oh. Um…how are ya then?" Rose said.

"I've died, Rose," Sarah Jane said.

"Died?" Rose said in alarm. "How?"

"I had cancer and the Doctor helped me to die but that's not important right now," Sarah Jane said, holding up her hand. "What is important is I finally got to see you again because I wanted to tell you that I love you and I'm proud of you and I'll be watching over you as I'll be watching over all those I love. The Doctor told me that he did love you and I'm sure he would be happy knowing that you've made a life with his clone and found some happiness with him. I just had to tell you this because you were a wonderful friend and you deserved to know what happened to me. I want you to have a wonderful life, Rose, and be all that you were destined to be."

Rose nodded and smiled and Sarah Jane hugged her one more time and kissed her cheek before Rose's eyes flew open and she gasped as she found herself awake.

John frowned in his sleep and slowly opened his eyes when Rose's weeping penetrated his dreams. He lifted his head and saw for himself that the weeping wasn't part of his dream.

"Rose? What's wrong?" he said, laying his hand on her bare arm. "Why are you crying?"

He sat up when Rose did the same and put his arms around her when Rose embraced him.

"It's Sarah Jane," she sobbed. "I just saw her in my dreams and I think she's dead."

John gave her a shocked look and held her tightly while Rose told him what Sarah Jane had told her.

(Back in the other universe…)

After speaking to everyone about what would happen when Sarah Jane's body was burned, the Doctor asked his TARDIS to find a wooden area somewhere where they could have plenty of wood for the pyre but also have privacy for the service. He had decided to conduct a Gallifreyan burial ceremony and he was on his way to the wardrobe room to find some Time Lord robes when Luke caught up to him. In Luke's hands was a large manila envelope.

"When you lot were cleaning her house, Mum took me aside and gave me a few things that she wanted to give to you and also to Donna."

"Donna, but…"

"I know, Mum knows about Donna but she said that she left you a letter in here that she wanted you to read," Luke said, handing him the envelope.

He watched while the Doctor opened it, reached inside and took out a small crystal shard and a gold bracelet. The bracelet was a gold band that had a heart engraved in the front of it. Inside the heart was a one karat diamond that sparkled when the lights from the roundels hit it. He put the items back inside the envelope, reached inside and found a folded up piece of paper. He took it out, opened it up and read it aloud while Luke listened.

"Doctor, I want you to have this crystal shard. It's from the intergalactic market on Draxus and I've kept it all these years as a reminder of our time together. I would like you to have it since I'm sure you don't want anything else I have to give as an inheritance. I also have enclosed a bracelet that I'd like Donna to have. I know you told me that she can never remember anything she did while she was your companion but is there a way you can give it to her anonymously, perhaps through her family. I don't care if she doesn't know it was given to her by me as long as she gets it. If you can't do this, that's okay, I understand but please keep it safe for me. I love you all, Sarah Jane."

"Is it possible to give the bracelet to Donna?" Luke asked.

The Doctor beckoned to him and he spoke to Luke while they walked.

"There is a way since Sarah said it can be given anonymously. Wilf and Sylvia, her mum and granddad, know the truth and I can give it to them, perhaps tell them that it's a gift from them. Now…Donna did get married and I gave her a lucky lottery ticket that should have made her a millionaire. Surely, she and Shawn now have a house and moved away from Wilf and Sylvia so there wouldn't be a danger of me giving it to them and having her around to see what's going on. I think it's doable, Luke. So let me go program the TARDIS to go to Chiswick and we'll pay Wilf and Sylvia a visit."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The Doctor parked the TARDIS a safe distance from Wilf and Sylvia's house in Chiswick just in case Donna still did live at home with them. He told everyone to wait on him and taking the manila envelope with him; he stepped out the door and walked about a block to their house. He sighed, knowing that since he had seen his friend, he had gotten a new body and he hoped that Wilf wouldn't be too upset since he had been convinced that he wasn't going to regenerate. On the other hand, he knew that if Donna were home she wouldn't recognize this body and it wouldn't trigger any flashbacks that might endanger her.

He walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. To his horror, Donna opened the door and for a moment, his hearts ached as he stared at his old friend.

"Yeah?" Donna said.

Again, thankful that he had changed bodies since she last saw him, he smiled warmly.

"Hi, I'm looking for Wilfred Mott? I'm a friend of his," he said.

"Yeah, he's here, wait a tic," Donna said. "Can I ask your name?"

The Doctor thought for a moment, trying to think of something besides John Smith.

"Robert Samuels," he said.

"Hold on," Donna said before she closed the door.

The Doctor's hearts lurched as he wondered if Wilf would even come to the door or tell Donna that he didn't even know him and if he did, would he be able to give him the bracelet without Donna seeing it and asking questions. To his relief, Wilf came to the door, opened it and gave him a confused look.

"Um…I'm sorry; mate, but you must have the wrong house. I don't know any Robert Samuels," he said.

"Wilf, it's me, the Doctor. I regenerated," the Doctor said, leaning in close and whispering.

Wilf's eyes bulged. He leaned out and looked for the TARDIS.

"I parked it down the street, just in case," the Doctor said softly. "Is there somewhere where we can talk privately?"

"Yeah, just a moment, I have to tell Sylvia what's going on and then we can go for a walk," Wilf said. "Just wait here."

The Doctor nodded and Wilf closed the door. A few minutes later, Wilf opened it and he and Sylvia stepped outside.

"You have changed," Sylvia said after Wilf closed the door behind him.

The Doctor nodded and gestured to the street. He began to walk away and Wilf and Sylvia followed him. They waited until they were out of earshot before the Doctor spoke.

"Donna still lives at home, after I gave her the lottery ticket?" he said in disbelief.

"No, she's just visiting. Shawn's at work and she popped by. They have a house about a mile away from here," Wilf said. "So…I was wrong about you. You did change."

"Yeah, but don't worry, I'm still basically the same man on the inside," the Doctor said. "But…I don't know if you know her but I have a friend that just died and she met Donna when we towed the Earth back to its orbit and she was upset when I told her that there was no way she could be present for her death, but…she bequeathed a bracelet to Donna and wanted her to have it. She told me to tell you to pretend it was from you lot so there would be no danger of Donna remembering. Just as long as she got it, that's all that mattered to her."

He reached into the envelope and gave the bracelet to Sylvia.

"This is beautiful," Sylvia said as she and Wilf examined it.

"Yes, it is. Is there a way you can give it to her and have it be convincing?" the Doctor said.

"As a matter of fact, their two year anniversary is nearly here," Wilf said. "We'll tell her it's our anniversary gift to her."

"Thank you," the Doctor said. "Sarah was a good friend and I want to honor her last wishes."

"Sarah? The woman that was in the lower corner of that web cam conversation? The one with the little boy at her side?"

"Yes, that's right," the Doctor said, pleased. "I'm glad you got to see her, even if you didn't meet her."

"What happened to her? Was she killed by Daleks or something like that?" Sylvia said.

"Um…no, it was cancer," the Doctor said.

"Oh, my Lord," Wilf said as Sylvia shook her head sadly. "Is there somewhere where she's buried, where we can visit?"

"Actually, she just died. We wrapped her body and we're going to cremate her and give the ashes to her son," the Doctor said. "She's onboard the TARDIS if you'd like to see her."

Wilf and Sylvia nodded and the Doctor led them back to the TARDIS. When he stepped inside, he didn't see anyone and he waited a moment for Wilf to adjust to the revamped TARDIS and for Sylvia just to adjust before he led them back to the room where Sarah's body lay. When they reached the room, the Doctor closed the door, untied the cords around her head and shoulders and carefully peeled back the shroud so they could see her.

"Oh my, poor girl," Wilf said as he and Sylvia gazed at her. "So young, how old was she?"

"Sixty three," the Doctor said.

"That's way too young," Sylvia said while Wilf nodded in agreement.

"I agree," the Doctor said.

"Where are you taking her for cremation?" Wilf asked.

"Haven't decided yet. I'm going to ask the TARDIS to take us to a location where we can make a funeral pyre and have privacy. I want to do a Gallifreyan funeral for her."

"Do you mind if I come with you?" Wilf said. "I'd like to represent Donna at the funeral."

"And I would like to as well," Sylvia said.

"I would love that," the Doctor said with a smile. "And I think Sarah would love it as well."

Wilf and Sylvia helped him rewrap and tie the cords around Sarah Jane's body before all of them walked out. The Doctor asked the TARDIS to take them to where everyone was and she led them to the kitchen where everyone was having tea and biscuits while they chatted. The Doctor introduced Wilf and Sylvia and left them there to get acquainted with everyone after telling them they were coming with them. He then headed up to the console room.

"Okay, girl, let's find a nice place to hold the funeral, eh?" the Doctor said to his ship.

There was a moment's silence and then the rotor came to life. The Doctor patted the rim of the console before he hurried to the wardrobe room to change into his robes.

"Yeah, ha, ha," the Doctor said when he appeared in the kitchen a half hour later dressed in his robes.

Everyone was giggling when they saw him in his scarlet robe, skullcap and frill. The Doctor gave them an annoyed look.

"Is everyone going to finish laughing soon or are we going to stay in the vortex until you stop?" he asked them.

"I'm sorry," Amy said. "But this…this beats even the fez for general weirdness."

"I liked that fez," the Doctor said, annoyed. "I'm going to buy another one if I ever get enough money for it."

"Jack, buy him a fez now so he can shut up about it," Rory said to Jack.

"Rory…" the Doctor said to him.

"Actually, I might, I'm curious to see what you'd look like wearing a fez," Jack said.

"Yeah, I bet," the Doctor said. "Anyway, I believe the TARDIS has landed and I need people to chop wood and people to help me with Sarah's body."

"Wait, why don't you be a wood chopper," Amy teased. "Let other people handle the body while you chop wood."

"Because I'm in charge and I'm dressed in my finest robes so I'm afraid I have to give the wood chopping a miss. Now, who's going to do what?"

Jack, Rory and Mickey volunteered to chop wood while Rory, Wilf and Luke volunteered to help him carry Sarah Jane. The wood chopping team walked with the Doctor to the front door and the Doctor opened it and peeked outside. They were in a grassy field next to a forest on a warm moonlit night. In the distance were several rolling hills and not a house, car or road in sight. On the hills and in the field were several types of flowers, yellow, purple and red.

"Very picturesque," Jack said. "Earth?"

"I believe so, out in the English countryside somewhere. I don't see any nearby houses so I assume no one will notice the fire. I'll put some petrol on the wood so it burns faster and hopefully no one will be around to see the blaze," the Doctor said.

The three men went out to chop some wood while the Doctor ducked back inside. He waited in the console room until Jack came in to tell them they were finished. The Doctor went back outside and helped the men arrange the pile of wood into a small square pyre. Then they went back inside. The Doctor, Rory, Wilf and Luke walked back to the room where Sarah Jane's body lay. The Doctor and Rory got on her right side and Wilf and Luke got on her left. They put their arms under her body and lifted her up, carefully taking her out of the room. The TARDIS moved the console room door to the room and the Doctor thanked her as they slowly took her through the console room and outside. Everyone else followed along behind them. The four men carried the corpse to the pyre and once they had it in position on top of the pyre, the Doctor went back in for a can of petrol. He came out five minutes later with it; the liquid sloshing around inside the red gas can as he walked to the pyre. He set the gas can down by the wood and stepped back. Everyone clustered around the pyre and fell silent, waiting for the Doctor to begin. The Doctor cleared his throat and everyone listened in silent wonder while he began to speak in Gallifreyan in a high lilting voice.

"Whoa," Amy whispered to Rory as he chanted, "if that's the Doctor's language, it's beautiful."

Everyone listened spellbound while he continued his chant. Around them, the wind blew slightly and fireflies winked on and off as they flew around the field. In the distance, they could hear crickets chirping while the Doctor continued his chant.

After ten minutes, the Doctor fell silent.

"What did you just say?" Martha asked.

"Just wishing Sarah Jane farewell and blessing her and telling her to have a safe journey and that we will think of her always. Anyone have anything to add before I light the pyre?"

"I just want to say goodbye to Mum and I'm glad she chose me as her son. She was the greatest mum in the whole universe," Luke said.

"And she was a great friend," Rani said. "She was so awesome, especially since she took a bunch of teenagers and used them to help her fight evil instead of just dismissing us as hoodie wearing ASBOs."

"Yeah," Clyde said. "I really didn't respect many adults but Sarah Jane was one of those I did respect and it's because she respected me and treated me as an equal and she trusted us to help her carry out her mission of making the world better and not just making us carry around equipment."

"And I'm sorry that my dad and I had to leave after I only knew her one year," Maria said. "But that one year was ace and it was the best time of my life and I learned so much from her and I'll miss you so much, Sarah Jane. You were one of the greatest people I've ever known. Rest in peace now."

"As I said before, she was a classy lady," Jack said. "I only wish I could have known her better and judging from most of the people here, they feel the same way. Everyone except the kids and K9 and the Doctor knew Sarah Jane intimately, the rest of us knew her a little bit or barely knew her at all and I feel angry that something as simple as cancer took her from us and robbed us of the chance to know her better and listen to her stories and her wisdom. I'll cherish the time I spent with her but it was tragically not enough time for me," he said as everyone nodded in agreement.

"I didn't know her at all," Wilf said. "Sylvia and I saw her as we watched the computer over Rose's shoulder. But Donna knew her and Sylvia and I are here because Donna can't be and I know that Donna would have loved to be here with all of you."

Everyone fell silent and the Doctor asked if anyone else wanted to say anything. Everyone shook their heads and the Doctor picked up the can of petrol, opened it and spread it on the logs. Then he set the can far away from the pyre and reached into his trouser pocket for a box of matches. He struck the match on the side of the match box and put it on top of the pyre. As the petrol caught fire, he lit four more matches and put them around Sarah Jane's body. Then he stood back and everyone stood quietly, watching while the wood ignited and Sarah Jane's body began to burn.

After the cremation was done and the ashes cooled, the Doctor went out and searched for the bag. He found it in a pile of ashes. The shroud had been reduced to a bag that fit in the palm of his hand. He tried to get as much of the ash off the bag as he could and when he couldn't get anymore off the bag, he stood and stared at it for a moment.

"There you are, all ready for your final resting place," he said to the bag. "The TARDIS made a lovely urn for you as well, TARDIS blue with gold trim. I know you'll be safe with Luke. Farewell, my beloved, rest in peace now."

"Doctor."

The Doctor jerked his head up when he heard a voice whispering to him on the night wind. He looked around but couldn't see anyone and he chuckled softly.

"I see you're going to stick to that promise of keeping an eye on us, eh?" he said aloud. "Well, you're more than welcome to ride with me, Sarah, just as long as you don't play any practical jokes that are too intrusive."

He paused a moment and swore he could hear Sarah's laughter on the wind. He wondered if he had heard it or maybe just imagined it. Then he decided that he had heard it and smiling to himself, he held the bag against his chest while he headed back indoors.

THE END.


End file.
